


I Can't Fix You

by Bxbble_gxm



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hope's Peak Academy (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Both of them, Cheating, Confused Naegi Makoto, Despair, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Komaeda Nagito Being Komaeda Nagito, Light Angst, Minor Fukawa Toko/Naegi Komaru, Mutual Pining, Naegi's parents are here woooo, One Big Happy Family, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Slow Burn, also kyoko's parents are dead, byakuya is a prick, how do these tags work this is the first time i write here, jin just doesn't exist, junko is surprisingly bearable, kyoko gets a cat, mukuro x happiness, one-sided mukuro/kyoko
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:09:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28696746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bxbble_gxm/pseuds/Bxbble_gxm
Summary: Kyoko is new to Hope's Peak Academy. It's scary, a new school, especially if you're all by yourself. As days, weeks, and months go by, she finds herself getting more and more comfortable in her class. She starts to realise her eye is drawn to Makoto Naegi, and she soon falls in love with him. Only problem is,he's dating Sayaka.
Relationships: Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto
Comments: 56
Kudos: 99





	1. Hope's Peak Academy

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Sorry if the work seems a little strange, it's my first time working with AO3! Hopefully you enjoy, and thank you for choosing this fanfic :3

There she stood. A lone girl, about to face the storm. It would have felt different if her father had still been there. Or hell, even her mother who she didn't know well. They'd both passed. Her mother when she was only six, her father about a month ago. Killed in an alleyway, police said.

Kyoko looked around her. Hundreds of students entering the gates of the sophisticated Hope's Peak Academy. Every single one of them an Ultimate. It was intimidating, to say the least. Kyoko's thought train came to a halt when a hand waved in front of her face.

"Hellooooooo?? Girl I know a new school is intimidating and all, but suck it up, will ya?" She turned her attention towards the origin of the voice. She saw a girl her age, her hair tied in two fluffy pigtails, decorated with a bow and a bunny hairclip.

"Is this your first day too?", Kyoko asked.

"Please, ignore my sister.", another voice said. "Mukuro Ikusaba, Ultimate Soldier." The girl held out her hand.

"Kyoko Kirigiri, Ultimate Detective." She shook her hand. The other girl shoved her sister aside, holding out her hand herself.

"Junko Enoshima, the one and only!" Her face was familiar. It plastered the cover of multiple teen magazines. "Ultimate Fashionista~ Soo, if this is your first day, means you're in our class then huh?"

"Probably, yes."

"Gooood, you're so reserved! Loosen up a little, you're like my ugly sister!", Junko laughed.

"U-Ugly...?", Mukuro blushed.

"Why would I? We just met."

"Well, I have the feeling we're gonna be great friends!", Junko said as she wrapped her arm around Kyoko and pulled her through the gates of Hope's Peak Academy. Mukuro followed behind.

Once they filled in an administration form, and found out the three of them were in fact in the same class, they headed to said classroom.

"So, do you like, touch dead bodies and stuff?" Junko had attempted at small talk the entire trip, but it seemed that Kyoko had set off on better foot with Mukuro. She finally turned her attention to Junko.

"It's part of the job, yes.", she replied as she pushed the classroom door open.

"Ugh, god forbid I ever get blood on these boots!" The classroom was already filled with students. Kyoko recognised some of them, as she did with Junko. There was the Ultimate Pop Sensation, the Ultimate Baseball Star and, sadly, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. She didn't even have to look at him twice to know he would be a huge thorn in her side. At the back of the classroom, she saw a group of three casually chatting. The Pop Sensation was one of them. The other two were a girl with dark purple hair, in two braids, and a small brown-haired boy. Something about him made Kyoko feel a little warm inside. It was a feeling of security.

"Oh. My. God, Kyoko! It hasn't even been a hot minute and you're already googoo eyeing someone!" Kyoko shook Junko off of her.

"First of all, don't call me that. Second of all, I'm not 'googoo eyeing' anyone."

"Hi!", a new voice called. A tan girl stood in front of them, holding out her hand. "I'm Aoi Asahina! But my friends just call me Hina!" Kyoko shook her hand. "You three are the last ones to arrive, so we're complete now!"

"Being late is not welcome in a school environment!", a voice called from the back.

"But we're not even late...", Mukuro replied.

"You are supposed to arrive at least 5 minutes in advance!" The bell rang.

"See? Not late!", Junko teased him. A teacher walked in, and set some folders down at the desk. Everyone sat down.

"Goodmorning everyone! I hope you all managed to make your way to the classroom well! My name is Chisa Yukizome, but you kids will just call me Miss Yukizome!" She cleared her throat. "Well, since it's a formality, and I want to get you know you bunch, why don't all of you introduce yourselves?" The guy who resembled a hall monitor shot up.

"My name is Kiyotaka Ishimaru! I am the Ultimate Moral Compass! I look forward to the coming year with this class and you as our homeroom teacher, Miss!" He sat back down.

"I am looking forward to it aswell, Ishimaru! Now then, who's next?"

Slowly but surely, everyone took turns introducing themselves. There was the Ultimate Gambler, Ultimate Clairvoyant, Ultimate Swimming Pro, Asahina... Kyoko had introduced herself aswell, and it was the last one's turn.

"My name is Makoto Naegi. I-uh, don't really have an Ultimate talent. I got picked by the school's Lucky Student programme..."

"Which means you are the Ultimate Lucky Student, Naegi! You are just as special as everyone here!", Miss Yukizome smiled. "You sure are a different bunch than my class from last year!", she joked.

The day was slow. It was mostly a bunch of formalities and getting to know how the school operates. After the final bell rang and Kyoko got ready to leave, she was approached by Junko.

"Hey girl, wanna go do something?" Kyoko glared at her.

"If that involves going home, sure."

"Wooooaaahh, you really don't like me, huh?", she laughed. "Come on, Kirigiri, it will be fun! I asked the rest of the class too!" Kyoko sighed.

"Fine. But I won't be staying for long." Junko squealed, and dragged her with her.

"Kirigiri's coming with us!", she said as she joined up with a bigger group.

"That's nice.", Celeste spoke. "How long did it take you to convince her?"

"Not too long, surprisingly!"

A lot of their classmates didn't go with them. It was Celeste, Junko, Mukuro, Hina, Sayaka, Makoto, Sakura and Kyoko. They were set at a small café at the border of a park. There were lots of children playing, people picknicking and feeding the ducks... It was a peaceful sight. Kyoko took a sip from her tea as she watched a mother duck marching with her little ducklings. The voices of the people at her table drowned out as she heard one of the small ducklings squeaking and hopping behind. Kyoko was about to put her cup down when she saw Makoto kneeling down by the small creature. He gently tried to rid the poor thing from a piece of plastic that was stuck at its feet. The mother duck was honking at him, and bopping his knees.

"Ow! I'm just trying to help!", he laughed. He put the duckling back down and watched it run to its mother. He sighed. "You're welcome." Naegi looked up, his eyes meeting Kyoko's. He smiled and gave her a small wave. He sat back down at the table, across from her.

"You reacted faster than I could.", Kyoko said, taking another sip from her tea. Makoto chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

"I have a big heart for animals. I couldn't just watch the poor thing suffer like that." He looked so flustered. He was nearly the opposite of Kyoko, who always remained cool and composed. She smiled. But that smile vanished as quick as it came. The dirty look she got from Sayaka didn't help, either. What was her deal? Kyoko averted her eyes back to the calmth of the park. Not too long later, she checked her phone for the time. It was 7 PM.

"Oh, it's time I get going.", she said, getting up from her seat.

"So early?", Hina asked. Kyoko nodded.

"I still have to get groceries for dinner, and the stores close in an hour. So I should go."

"Aw, that's a bummer. It was nice you were here, Kirigiri!", Makoto said, smiling.

"It was surprisingly nice. I'll be seeing you guys tomorrow.", she said, walking away.

Once she got home from the supermarket, she set the bag on the kitchen counter. She quickly restocked the fridge and freezer, and preheated the oven to put her lasagne in. It was too late to cook anyway, it was around eight already. As she waited for her food, she checked her phone. Unsurprisingly, she already had a friend request on Facebook from Junko. Kyoko scrolled down her own profile for a while, eventually stumbling upon a picture of her, from when she was a kid. Her seventh birthday. It was a tagged photo. Her father had posted it for her 17th birthday half a year ago. It had some text along with the picture.

'My little girl! They grow up so fast, don't they? It still feels like yesterday when she blew out the candles on this cake, even though it's been ten years already! Have an amazing day today, my blessing. We love you dearly <3'

Kyoko felt tears sting her eyes as she pressed on the profile of her father. Normally, it would be covered in photos of Kyoko whenever they went on a holiday, or pictures of the park. But it wasn't normal. Instead of all the pretty photos, his wall was covered with messages of condolences. Rest in peace. May Atua guide you to a better place. Shutting off her phone, Kyoko sat down. She put her head in her hands, and tried her hardest to choke back her sobs. She missed him so much. And he'd been taken from her, just like everything and everyone always left her behind. Her sobs escaped, and there she was. A sobbing, vulnerable mess. She felt so alone. So abandoned.

She stood up from her chair, and collected herself. Grabbing a tissue to wipe off some of the excess tears, she went back to waiting for her dinner to be done. She got a message from Junko.

Junko Enoshima: hey gurl!!! we're making a groupchat with the rest of the class, can u turn on ur message requests so we can add u? <3

Kyoko Kirigiri: Okay, just a second.

Kyoko Kirigiri: Should be done.

Junko Enoshima: ur the best!!!

Kyoko couldn't help but smile a little, as she saw the messages from her classmates flood in. Maybe this time around things won't go wrong.


	2. Frozen Yoghurt

Kyoko yawned as she poured herself a cup of coffee. School had been going for about two months now, and stuff has been going surprisingly well. She had become relatively close with Mukuro and Hina. Junko was just an added bonus to that. Her classmates were really sweet, even Byakuya was bearable at times. Grabbing her cup, Kyoko made her way to the couch and sat down. Even though it was a Saturday, she had work to do. She was a high school student, sure, but she still had her grandfather's detective agency to keep an eye on as he grew more ill. Old age.

Grabbing her laptop, she logged into the agency's email account, checking if there were any new listings, or updates on other ones. Nothing particularly interesting or worth her attention. The other detectives should be fine for now. As if on cue, her phone rang. Checking the caller ID, she saw a peculiar name. Sayaka Maizono.

"Hello, Maizono?", Kyoko said as she answered the phone.

"Hey Kirigiri! It turns out the boys of our class have made plans for a 'boys night' this evening, so, I was thinking we could do the same!", her cheerful voice chimed. She and Kyoko got a bit off on the wrong foot, as Sayaka was very protective of her boyfriend, Makoto, and he seemed to want to get to know Kyoko better. Eventually Sayaka didn't deem her a threat anymore, and started to be more friendly towards the lavender haired girl.

"Oh, I'm not sure. Relatively busy with work and school right now."

"Aw, come on Kiri! It'll only be a couple of hours, and it won't be the same without you! Pleaaaaase?" Kyoko sighed.

"Fine. Where are we meeting up?"

"My house! I'll put the address in the groupchat."

"Won't the boys be able to read it?"

"Well yea, but that doesn't matter. We're meeting up around 4PM, hope to see you there!", Sayaka said her goodbyes as she hung up the phone. Kyoko leant back in the sofa, trying to process her building friendship with said girl. She's really sweet, that's for sure, but... She was all over her boyfriend all the time. It kind of made Kyoko uncomfortable. She'd never been big on physical affection, and seeing such a lovey dovey couple made her a little sick. She'd never say that out loud of course, that's just rude. Her phone blew up with messages, both from the group and a seperate one.

'Hey, I was wondering if you would like to grab something to drink later? With me?'

Kyoko raised an eyebrow. It came from Leon. She shrugged it off, figuring she'll reply later. She went upstairs to the bathroom to go and take a bath.

~~~~

"AAH!", she shrieked, as she was pinned down by the Saint Bernard.

"No, no, bad Cappy!", Makoto yelled. The dog was wagging his tail, licking the girl's face. There was laughter in the background. "Komaru get your dog!", he laughed.

"Kneecaps!", she called. As the dog rushed over to her, Makoto helped the girl up.

"Not funny, Komaru!", she scolded her.

"Really? I thought it was quite hilarious, Toko!" Toko frowned and folded her arms. Their bickering continued as Makoto grabbed all of their coats from the closet.

"Oh, are you kids heading out?", a sweet voice called from the kitchen. Their mom made their way in the dining room, where the three of them were. She was drying off a plate.

"Mhm! I really want to get some frozen yoghurt from the mall, so I'm dragging Toko along~!", Komaru smiled, pulling her girlfriend closer. Toko groaned.

"Ah, and you're their taxi cab, Mako?"

"You guessed it. I had to be in the mall anyways, the guys from my class asked to bring some snacks to Byakuya's house for the night."

"I-It's going through at Togami's house?", Toko asked. There was a hint of disgust in her voice.

"Yeah. It took a lot of convincing to even have him join us. He only wanted if it was organised at his place.", Makoto said as he grabbed his car keys from the basket. "Come on children, time to go!" Toko pushed him out the door.

"I-I'm older than you, jackass..." Makoto scoffed.

"Only by a few weeks. And I'm the one with the driver's license!"

The car ride to the mall was, chaotic, to say the least. Normally, it would exist of Komaru and Toko either bickering playfully or just being all over eachother. Makoto wasn't having that today. His car, his rules. So, instead of actually enjoying themselves, his sister and her girlfriend were forced to listen to Makoto yell (he would say sing) along with the songs from Heathers: The Musical. Komaru nudged Toko gently, pulling out her phone to record her brother.

"I'M IN YOUR YARD! I'M A DEAD GIRL WALKIIIIING!", Makoto screamed along with the lyrics. He earned a laugh from the two girls in the backseat. "Stop recording Komaru!", he laughed, blindly swinging his hand at them. Once arrived at the mall, he pulled over in one of the parking spots. "I'll be hanging around the mall, so just call me when you guys are done, alright?"

"Sure thing, thanks for bringing us big bro!" Komaru hugged him from the backseat.

"No problem. Have fun!" Toko and Komaru bolted out of his car, and headed towards the entrance of the mall. Their hands were intertwined, and Makoto couldn't help but smile at the sight. Coming out as a lesbian had been a hard journey for Komaru, even if their parents were incredibly accepting of her. He was so proud of his little sister. After quickly checking the groupchat for what he needed to bring, he stepped out of the car himself and locked.

As Makoto came out of the store with the bad, he noticed a small coffee shop across the hall. Still not having received a text from his sister or Toko, he decided to order himself a coffee and sit down at one of the tables. Quickly checking his messages, he notified the group that he had the snacks. He also got a small gift for Sayaka, but he deemed it inappropriate to throw that in the group like that.

"Yo, Big Mac!", he heard a voice call. He looked up at the source of the voice.

"Oh, hey Leon! What are you doing here?" Kuwata a muddy grin plastered on his face, as he turned one of the chairs around and sat down.

"I have a date~"

"Oh, poor girl.", Makoto joked. "Congratulations, man. With who, if I may ask?" He took a sip of his coffee. Leon bit his lip.

"Kirigiri." Makoto nearly choked on his drink.

"How did you manage that?!"

"Hey, hey! I only had to ask once." Makoto smiled at him. "She might be easier than she lets on.", Leon tried to joke. Sadly for him, Naegi wasn't having that.

"Dude, don't say that. That's really disgusting."

"Hahh? How?"

"Are you seriously gonna reduce her to a trophy? If I hear you doing that again I'll have Sakura beat you up.", Makoto said as he sipped his drink, but he noticed Leon wasn't listening anymore. His attention was turned to where Leon looked, seeing Kirigiri make their way over to them.

"Hello.", she said, arriving at the table.

"Hey Kirigiri.", they replied. "Have a seat. What do you want to drink?", Leon asked her. Kyoko sat down.

"Just a black coffee will do." He nodded and went to the counter to order. Makoto smiled at her.

"Sorry for butting in on your date like this, Kiri."

"Don't get the wrong idea, it's not a date. At least, not in my eyes."

"Yet you still agreed to get a drink with him?", he asked confused, leaning back in his chair.

"Just because I agreed to have a drink with him doesn't insinuate anything, Naegi." He nodded.

"That's true. But make that clear to him to, or he might try something funny. Guys are quite literal beings.", Makoto said, winking at her. She sighed.

"So, what brings you here?", Kyoko asked. He lifted up the plastic bag from the snack shop.

"I was tasked with snack duty. Plus, my sister and her girlfriend wanted to get frozen yoghurt, so I'm stuck here for the time being."

"You're their taxi?" Makoto nodded. "I didn't figure you'd have your license yet." She held back a chuckle.

"What are you chuckling about?" It was a cute sight, honestly. Kyoko is always so reserved, so it was nice to see her relaxed and somewhat happy. At least, if Makoto read her face correctly.

"I was just-", she giggled. He smiled. "I was just wondering if you were able to reach the pedals." His smile faded.

"Listen-"

"I-I'm sorry!", Kyoko said in between giggles. She cleared her throat. "Apologies, Naegi." He smiled, his showcasing a sweet fondness.

"Don't apologise for having fun. It's nice seeing you like this." Kyoko felt some blood rush to her cheeks. As if on cue, Leon returned to the table with two coffees.

"What were you two talking about?", he asked. Kyoko giggled, and Makoto's expression grew annoyed again.

"She was making fun of me.", he said.

"Kirigiri? Fun?" She shot him a glare.

"I can just leave now, you know."

"Nooo, please stay!", Leon said as he grabbed Kyoko's gloved hand. She flinched, but didn't pull away. Until his phone received a notification. After reading the text, he stood up, grabbing his bag. "I am so so sorry, Kirigiri, something came up. I have to go."

"Something came up?", she asked, lifting a brow. He nodded.

"I promise I'll take you out for dinner to make it up! Bye!", Leon said as he scrambled away from the table. Kyoko sighed.

"What was that?", Makoto asked, watching Leon leave. He turned his attention back to Kyoko, who looked more hurt than she tried to lead on. "Are you okay, Kirigiri?" She nodded.

"Guess I'll be heading home too, then.", she said, standing up. As if a reflex, Makoto grabbed her hand.

"Stay. Just because Leon bailed doesn't mean you can't have fun." Her eyes locked with his. They looked so... honest. Reluctantly, she sat back down. He didn't let go of her hand, as if he was scared she was going to leave again. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Well, it's definitely not fun if that is what you're insinuating. But it's fine, stuff like this happens. I don't blame him." There was that warm smile of his again. It made her heart beat faster, yet she was so confused as to what was going on within her. After a period of silence, he let go of her hand.

"Is anyone coming to pick you up?" Kyoko shook her head.

"I took the bus." Makoto nodded. He suddenly stood up, causing Kyoko a bit of anxiousness.

"Do you like frozen yoghurt?", he asked, grabbing his coffee and holding out his other hand for her to grab. A symbol of 'no, I'm not leaving unless you are'.

"I've... never had it before...", she said, standing up. She didn't grab hold of his hand. Yet he still kept on smiling.

"Then let's go get some! My sister and Toko are currently there though, so we can go get something else if that bothers you."

"I don't mind."

"Great! It's a floor up, I'm pretty sure.", Makoto said as he started making his way to the escalator. On their way to the shop, there was a rather comfortable silence. Though it turned awkward relatively quick. ".... I swear it was right here last week."

"What part of the mall are we even in, Naegi?", Kyoko asked, annoyed. He turned around to face her, desperatly trying to hide his laugh. "... You don't know, do you?" He shook his head. The girl's palm met her forehead. "You're such an idiot."

"I'll just call Komaru, it's fine.", he said digging his phone out of his pocket. His smile turned into a look of pure fucking horror. Kyoko raised an eyebrow.

"Everything alright?"

"I have seven missed calls from Sayaka.", he gulped.

"Call her back then."

"No, that's rude-"

"Call her back, Naegi." He nodded.

"God she's gonna kill me...", he muttered as he ringed her up. "Hey baby- yes- I- yes, I know you're mad- no, my phone wa- yes it was on silent. Yeah I'm in the mall. Yeah, sure I'll br- okay bye-" The conversation was over as quick as it started. He groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Everything alright?", Kyoko asked. "That was a quick phone call." He nodded.

"She called to ask if I could bring some sweets from the chocolatier down the street."

"She called you seven times... to ask for chocolates?" He nodded again. She let out a small giggle. "Alright, while you were busy with your phone call, I checked the map and saw that Frozen Yoghurt Shop is two stories down."

"... Thanks."

"No problem."


	3. Komaru Naegi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the short chapter! I got a bit distracted because of school work, and I couldn't fit my other ideas in this chapter without it becoming waaaaay too long and taking too long! I hope the next one won't be such a long wait!  
> Thank you for taking the time to read my story, you guys rule <3

The walk to the Frozen Yoghurt Shop turned awkward relatively quick. Kyoko seemed a bit upset, and Makoto really wanted to figure out what was going on, without the need to push her.

"Kirigiri? Are you alright? You've been more quiet than usual..." She nodded, and kept walking. "Is this about the phonecall with Sayaka?" She stopped.

"It's not my business, Naegi. But I just think it's strange you let her boss you around like that."

"It does seem like that, huh?" Makoto scratched the back of his head. "But I promise you she's very good to me. She probably had a bad day, so I don't blame her or anything." Kyoko nodded, and they continued walking.

"My apologies, Naegi."

"For what? It's fine to worry." He paused for a second. "Have you ever been in a relationship?" Kyoko took a moment, but ultimately shook her head.

"No, not really."

"Wait, really?" She felt herself become more annoyed.

"Yes, really. I fail to see why it matters."

"It doesn't, ofcourse! I was just kind of... surprised? I kind of figured guys would be throwing themselves at you?" Kyoko's eyes widened as she felt a blush crawl her cheeks.

"W-Why...?" Makoto looked to the other side, awkwardly sipping his coffee. It had to be cold by now, Kyoko thought. What she didn't realise, was that the was looking to the side to hide his embarrassing blush.

"W-Well, you're pretty cute... and all that..." He covered his face with his free hand. "God please don't take that the wrong way Sayaka will literally end me." Kyoko let out a small giggle.

"She's quite jealous, isn't she?" Makoto nodded. They had arrived at their destination, and stood at the back of the line.

"Sort of, yes. I love her, but it can get relatively annoying and hypocritical." Kyoko raised an eyebrow.

"Hypocritical?"

"She tends to get upset when I talk to other girls or about them a lot, while she hangs out with Kuwata and some of his friends a lot. Then she gets mad at me for asking about it." Something in Kyoko's head was screaming. It was shouting at her that that situation isn't fucking okay and something is definitely wrong, but once again, she figured it wasn't her business. Her run of thoughts was interrupted by Makoto. "What flavour do you want?" She looked up at the board.

"Oh, strawberry! But here, let me have this one.", she said, grabbing her wallet from her purse.

"Are you sure?" She nodded.

"I owe you one. For keeping me company."

"Honestly, it was my pleasure, Kirigiri." He smiled that sweet smile of his again. The smile that made her heart beat faster. She didn't want that. She tried so hard to fight it. She didn't want to feel anything for anyone, and especially not someone who had a mega jealous girlfriend. Yet she couldn't deny Naegi made her heart flutter and her worries disappear. She was so confused as to why. She barely knew him to begin with.

"W-What time is it?" Makoto checked his phone.

"It's 3:30PM right now."

"Ah shoot, the girls thing starts at 4PM. I should go now if I want to catch my bu-"

"Who said you're going by bus? Ride with us, I need to drop off Toko anyways."

"... Are you sure?"

"Literally nothing changes by the fact you join us, other than I need to behave myself in the car." By now they've gotten their frosty treat and sat down at one of the tables for a bit. Kyoko raised a brow once more.

"Behave yourself?"

"He usually screams along with musical lyrics~", a peppy voice chimed as the girl sat down at the table with them. Makoto looked rather annoyed. She held out her hand to Kyoko. "Komaru Naegi, this dorks sister."

"Kyoko Kirigiri.", she shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too! You're a classmate of Toko, right?" She nodded. Said girl waved.

"W-We should head to Maizono's house, Makoto..." He nodded, standing up. He held out his hand to Kyoko again. She accepted his offer this time, and stood up. She could feel the warmth of his hand through her glove. Some of the warmth rose to her cheeks again.

He was so sweet. He even held open the door to the passenger side of his car for her. It was so cheesy, but it made her feel more comfortable with her.

"Sheeeesh, Makoto you're so cheesy!", Komaru exclaimed it from the backseat.

"I'm not the one who named my dog Kneecaps.", he smirked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Silence, hetero." He chuckled. Kyoko turned to face the two girls in the backseat.

"You named your dog Kneecaps?" Komaru laughed.

"Yup! It was something 10 year old me came up with on the fly. I'm still surprised that dad allowed it."

"Only because of mom.", Makoto interfered. "When he first said no you threatened to break all her expensive plates." Kyoko giggled.

"I once had a cat with a weird name aswell.", she said.

"W-What was it called?"

"Flour. Not as in the plant, but the powder." 

"Why would you name your cat Flour?", Makoto asked.

"Why not?"

"Oh my god Kirigiri you're a genius.", Komaru said. "Someone who understands me!" Makoto slowed down the car as he pulled up to Sayaka's driveway. The house was huge, but that was no surprise for the residence of the Ultimate Pop Sensation. It was heavily guarded with fencing, too.

"I need to go drop Komaru off at home and make my way over to Byakuya, so I wont step outside myself. Tell Sayaka I said hi, alright?", Makoto asked Kyoko. She nodded.

"Thank you for today, Naegi. Seriously."

"Again, it was my pleasure. Seriously. Let me know when you want to hang out again, okay?"

"Yeah." And with those words, Kyoko and Toko stepped out of the vehicle and made their way to Sayaka's front door.

-

"You're losing yourself, Makoto.", Komaru said as she gazed out the window. Glancing at her in his rearview mirror, he was visibly confused.

"Losing myself? What are you talking about?" She leaned forward a bit.

"Call it a woman's intuition, there's gonna have to be a day where you're gonna have to choose between Sayaka and Kirigiri." He chuckled awkwardly.

"They wouldn't make me choose." Komaru sighed.

"I'm not talking about that kind of choosing. God, you're so naive."

"Then explain it to me.", Makoto said, annoyed. He pulled over at a small parking spot at the side of a calm road. She sighed again.

"Look, Mac, I know you better than anyone in this whole world. I can already tell that the day will come where you're gonna have to choose between continuing your relationship with Sayaka or starting one with-"

"Stop." He turned to face her. "One, I don't want to talk about anything like that. Two, that will never happen." He seemed to choke on his words. He rested his head on his hands, which where positioned on the steering wheel. "I don't want to think about things ending with Sayaka. Why are you even saying this to me?"

"I want you to be prepared... When I saw how your last girlfriend hurt you, I don't want you to have to go through that again-" He slammed his hand against his steering wheel.

"Sayaka's not like that!", he shouted at her. He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. "Sorry. I didn't mean to lash out at you like that." He held out his hand. "Thank you for worrying for me, Komaru. Right now it's something I don't wish to think about, but thanks for the heads up. I'm too much with my head in the clouds as of late." There was a silence that lasted a couple of minutes.

"Kirigiri seems really nice." He smiled.

"She is. She seems really cold and collected on the outside, but I think she has a lot of bottled up emotions in her. I hope she trusts me enough to share them one day." Komaru rolled her eyes. It seemed her warning was already built on a solid foundation. "I've wasted a lot of time already.", Makoto said, sitting up. "I should really get you home."

"That would be nice, your car smells like shit."

"JEEZ FINE WALK THEN"


	4. Sleepover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo sorry that this was MEGA late! I've had huge writers block for this chapter. Hope you enjoy <3

The door opened, revealing Sayaka. She smiled at the sight of the other two girls.

"Kirigiri! Fukawa! I'm so glad you're here. Come in, come in! The others are in the living room down the hall. Do you want anything to drink?", she asked them.

"I'll have some water, thank you.", Kyoko replied. Sayaka looked over at Toko, who nodded. As she left for the kitchen, the other two made their way to the living room.

"Hey girl!", Junko yelled as she engulfed Kyoko in a hug. "How come you're late?"

"I lost track of time, it's fine.", she replied, trying to pull Junko off of her. She sat down in an empty spot on one of the couches, when Sayaka walked in with two glasses of water.

"Here you go, Kirigiri.", she handed her the glass. "We're ordering pizzas in a bit, what do you like?" Kyoko took a sip of her water.

"Hmm, anything, really. Though I am allergic to peppers." Sayaka nodded and wrote it down.

It was a lot of talking. Like, a lot of talking. Kyoko zoned out most of the time, when Sayaka's father walked in the living room.

"Sayaka, dear, your dad's ordering the pizzas. Do you have a list of what you want?" She nodded, handing him the list.

"Here you go pop! Kirigiri's allergic to peppers and Ikusaba to mushrooms, so I wrote that down aswell." Kyoko's heart started beating faster. 

"We'll make sure to take note of it.", Sayaka's father said as he kissed her forehead. Kyoko felt her throat tighten and her eyes began to sting.

"Daad, that's embarassing.", Sayaka said. 

Kyoko excused herself to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She sat on the edge of the bathtub, her face buried in her hands. Her throat hurt as she tried to repress the upcoming sobs. It was so unfair. Everyone there had their father, Sayaka even had two. Why couldn't she keep hers? Why is she so cursed? Will everyone she loves end up dying too soon? There was a knock on the door. She went up to open it, revealing Sayaka, Mukuro and Junko. They hugged her on sight.

"What happened, Kirigiri...?", Mukuro asked her. A sob escaped. They hugged her again.

"I-I'm sorry, I..." Kyoko took some time to recollect herself. "My father passed away a couple of months ago, and uh... I-It's still quite...touchy..." Sayaka covered her mouth, as Junko wrapped herself around Kyoko and Mukuro felt her eyes start to tear.

"What about your mother?", Junko dared to ask.

"She died when I was six. Heart failure, father always said. He himself was killed."

"D-Did they find the murderer?", Sayaka asked as colour drained from her face. Kyoko shook her head.

"Well, let's just go back to the others for now. I don't want to be more of a bother." She started walking, but turned around to see the others still standing there.

"You're not a bother, Kirigiri.", Junko said. She sounded upset. "It's normal to be sad over losing your parents."

"Please don't ever think you're annoying people with your emotions.", Mukuro added.

"Surpressing your feelings isn't healthy. Show us how you feel.", Sayaka finished. They shot her a small, yet comforting smile.

~

"CAN I GET A HOO-YAH?"

"HOO-YAH!", Leon shouted as he jumped down the terrace stairs, landing in the grass. "FUCK!", he shouted.

Makoto couldn't help but laugh as he watched Leon, Mondo and Yasuhiro go on doing their usual dumb shenanigans. Byakuya, on the other hand, showed some signs of serious stress about the dumbasses destroying his property.

"Stay away from the pool, you imbeciles!" Togami sighed as he saw Leon plummet into the pool. Makoto snickered. "What are you laughing at?"

"You sound like a worried dad, Togami.", he laughed.

"I am far from worried about them! Worried about my stuff, yes."

"Yeahh, keep telling yourself that, Dadami."

"Refrain from calling me that-"

"WAIT CHIHIRO DON'T GO IN THE DEEP END YOU'LL DROWN!", Mondo's shouting interrupted Byakuya's order. They turned around, seeing Chihiro vibing in the swimming pool while Mondo desperately held out his hand, hoping to they would grab it. They just laughed instead, splashing water in his face. Makoto turned around, witnessing Leon nearly choking of laughter next to him.

"It's like Titanic!", he laughed as he watched Taka drag Mondo away from the side of the pool, in an attempt to save him from falling in the water. Makoto let out a little laugh, but it turned sour pretty quick. Leon looked at him. "Still mad at me pal?"

"Yes." He looked away. "That was quite the stupid thing you did back there. What so suddenly came up, anyway?"

"None of ya beeswax, Makoto. Something came up that caused me to need to leave, but I promised I'd make it up to her, didn't I?"

"What, with dinner? Will you bail on her again with that?"

"Look, man, I don't know what your fucking problem is, but here's a reality check because you seem to need it. Maizono is your girlfriend, not Kirigiri, so you don't need to get so worked up about it." Makoto turned to face Leon. The banter in the pool had turned quiet, aswell, as everyone awkwardly watched them bicker.

"Don't drag Sayaka into this."

"Come on bro, face the facts, you're being more protective over Kirigiri than you've ever been over Maizono. What would she think about that, huh? Or are you just gonna let her walk all over you again?"

"Walk all over me-? Leon are you even hearing yourself?"

"Oh, I definitely am, but are you hearing me, huh?"

"I don't want to deal with this. Enjoy the snacks, have some fun, I'm going home.", Makoto said as he swung his bag over his shoulder.

"Naegi?", Mondo tried to call as Makoto left, but to no avail.

Makoto threw his backpack on the passenger's seat of his car, and sat down in the driver's. Putting it in reverse, he pulled out of Togami's driveway, and made his way home. Not even halfway there, his phone started ringing. Quickly contemplating whether he should answer or not, he answered hands-free.

"Hello?"

"Naegi, it is me, Byakuya Togami. I am calling to see if you are alright."

"Aww, Togami, you're worried about me? You really are a dad."

"I am most certainly not worried about whatever you're up to. Ishimaru mentioned to me that most car accidents happen when the driver is agitated, and it would be a shame to see such an expensive vehicle go to waste." Makoto scoffed.

"Expensive? Togami I bought this car using a website for second hand items."

"I guess, if you say so." He smiled.

"Thank you for worrying, Togami. It's much appreciated. I'm home now, so I'll be hanging up.", he said as he parked the car in its standard spot in the street.

"... You're welcome.", Togami said as he hung up the phone. Makoto leaned back in his seat, letting out a little laugh. What a tsundere. Grabbing his backpack, he crossed the street and unlocked the front door. He was greeted by his sister at the dining table, chopping onions.

"Makoto? What are you doing here?", Komaru asked.

"I left. I got in a fight with Leon, and didn't really feel like staying." She put down the knife and stood up, her hand in her hip.

"Is this about Kirigiri? Or Maizono?"

"Yes."

"Oh, Mako? Home so early?", his mother said as she walked in the dining room. He nodded. "Oh, well Komaru is making pork cutlet bowls. We should have some extra beef in the freezer, if you can go lay it out."

"I can just steal Komaru's if that isn't the case~", Makoto teased as he passed his sister on his way to the kitchen. She stuck out her tongue. The front door opened.

"Hi dad!", she said as she went to hug her father.

"Hello gang. Let's get this bread.", he greeted. Makoto stuck out his head from the kitchen, shaking it in disapproval.

"Komaru, have you been teaching him slang again?"

"Duh."

"Makoto, boy, what are you doing home?"

"Long story, dad. Mom, where's the beef?" His mother came to his aid.

"If there isn't enough beef you can always steal your sister's."

"Moooom, dad is siding with Makoto again.", Komaru nagged. Her mother laughed.

"God, when I had a son I didn't expect him to be a carbon copy of my husband.", she said, ruffling said son's hair. Makoto layed the beef next to the stove, and pulled out his phone. Opening up Instagram, he saw a photo Sayaka posted. It was a picture of the sleepover the girls were having. Hina and Sakura were eating pizza, Junko was ruffling Mukuro's hair... His eye fell on Kyoko, who was right next to Sayaka. She seemed surprised that the photo was being taken, as her eyes were widened while having a sip of her soda.

"Cute.", Makoto said under his breath. Sayaka looked pretty, too, by the way.


	5. Class 77

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! If you're interested in cosplays, I'm currently finishing up a Kyoko Kirigiri cosplay! So if you want to take a look / get in touch, feel free to have a look at my instagram or tiktok uwu (they're on my profile) Enjoy!

CW: aphrodisiac scene (like the one in Despair Arc)

Kyoko rubbed her eye as she sat down in her seat. She grabbed her books from her backpack, and yawned. It had gotten pretty late the night before, as she had a lot of school work to catch up with since Saturday was so busy. She actually ended up having a lot of fun at Sayaka's house, which was quite the unexpected turn. No one mentioned her parents after the incident in the bathroom. She couldn't say she wasn't thankful for that, she didn't think she could have kept it together if she had to explain it a second time. Her thoughts were interrupted by someone leaning on her desk.

"Hey there cutie~" It was Leon. "Sooo, I promised to take you out for dinner, if you're still up for that?"

"...I don't know."

"Aw, please? Pretty please? I'd just like to enjoy your company to the fullest sometime.", he smiled at her.

"To the fullest?", Kyoko questioned. A small smirk decorated his features, but it vanished just as quick.

"Let me show you?"

"... Fine. But this is your final chance." Leon smiled like a toddler.

"I won't mess it up! Promise!" 

Leon's happy mood seemed to grow a bit more grumpy when Makoto walked in. He was alone, for a change. The usually loud group of Yasuhiro, Chihiro and Mondo grew quiet, aswell. You could cut the tension with a knife. Leon and Makoto exchanged a toxic glare. Kyoko felt terrified seeing the usual sweet and tender Naegi like that.

"Hey, Naegi! Where's Maizono?", Mondo broke the silence. He smiled at him.

"Oh, Sayaka's home sick. She said she ate some leftover pizza yesterday and got food poisoning."

"Oh, that's peculiar.", Celeste said. "I was not feeling too well either, yesterday."

"You too, huh? I had to throw up yesterday.", Hina chimed in. Looking around, it seemed a lot of the girls nodded.

"Something was definitely up with those pizzas in that case.", Celeste said, attempting to lighten the mood. Everyone went to their seat as Mrs. Yukizome walked in.

"Good morning everyone! I hoped you had a wonderful weekend! Oh, is Maizono ill?" Everyone hummed in confirmation. "Aw, bummer! Today is a special day!"

"A special day?", Junko asked.

"Well, the exams are coming up soon. Each one of you will be going through an individual test to show off your skills as an Ultimate. So today we're taking some time to prepare for those exams." Makoto awkwardly raised his hand. "Yes, Naegi?"

"U-Uh... What do I do? I don't really have an Ultimate talent..."

"So eager, Naegi! That's where today comes in! I'll be introducing you to your upperclassmen, my class from last year! Lucky for you, there is also an Ultimate Lucky Student in this class!" Taka's eyes widened, as he raised his hand in the way an impatient child would.

"Mrs. Yukizome, how is it possible that two people share the same Ultimate talent?"

"Good question Ishimaru. Honestly, I don't know all the details. I do know though, that the third year has an Ultimate Detective aswell!" Kyoko silently gasped.

"Shuichi Saihara? He goes to Hope's Peak?" She nearly sounded like a fangirl with the way her eyes glimmered.

"That's him, yes. I figured you would know his name. But, as to not stray too far from the point, today you will be meeting your upperclassmen, which is why it is such a bummer that Maizono isn't with us. So get up kids, we're leaving! Oh, but one thing!" Everyone turned their attention to Yukizome again. "They can be a bit... overwhelming."

The classroom of class 77 was a floor up. As they walked there, Kyoko took the time to speak with Makoto.

"Hi, Naegi."

"Hey."

"If I may ask, what was that with Leon? You could cut the tension with a knife." Makoto sighed.

"We kind of... got in a pretty big fight Saturday. Facing him right now isn't really on my bucket list."

"... Was it about what he did that afternoon?" He scratched the back of his head. Kyoko had noted he always did that when he was nervous.

"Yeah..." He sighed again. "It's dumb, I know." Feeling a bit more bold than usual, she grabbed hold of his hand, feeling her own blush rise to her cheeks. She ignored it.

"It isn't dumb that you're mad at him, Naegi. It's dumb that you two keep dragging this on. Talk it out."

"Alright kids, we're here!", Mrs. Yukizome said. She opened the door, revealing a bunch of kids cluttered up on the other side. They all cheered for her return. After a brief introduction of everyone, everyone was seated in a circle. The first years had to ask the second years questions about the upcoming exam. To no one's surprise, Taka was the first to speak.

"Where shall the exam take place?", he asked.

"The event you mortals denominate as an 'exam' shall take place in the hall of blood and sweat!", the guy named Gundham responded.

"Okay, so like, in English please?", Junko asked.

"It takes place at the gym hall." The girl yawned. "Excuse Gundham, he can be a lot sometimes." If Kyoko was correct, this was Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer. Video games are her hobby, and she's a fan of all genres. 

"So what is it that we specifically need to do?", Junko continued.

"You need to show off to the judges that you are the best of the best! But honestly, for you Ultimate bunch that shouldn't be a problem. Wow, I feel in awe just being in your pre-"

"That's enough, Nagito." Nagito sighed, covering his cheeks with his hands. He almost seemed in love. "So as he said, there will be a team of judges. Basically you need to put on some kind of show and impress the judges." A look of fear struck Makoto, as he leaned his head in his hands.

"I'm screwed."

"I'm sure you will be fine, Naegi!", the blonde named Sonia spoke. "If you are indeed the Ultimate Lucky Student, I'm sure Komaeda would love to help you work things out!" The two lucksters exchanged glances, and smiled.

"How did you pass the exam last year, Komaeda?", he asked. Yukizome coughed, as to motion none of the kids to respond to that question.

"M-Moving on!", she exclaimed. She really didn't want that question answered. "Where's Teruteru?"

"Oh, he should be here any second!", said Mahiru. "He mentioned he wanted to cook for the newbies."

"Oh, how nice of him!", Hina replied. As if on cue, Teruteru entered the room. He pushed a cart with a large pot on it, together with bowls and spoons. Next to him was the other missing kid, Hiyoko. A delicious smell filled the classroom. The first at the line to get some stew were none other than Yasuhiro and Akane. Soon everyone had their serving, though Yukizome needed some convincing.

The food was absolutely delicious, but nothing less was expected from the Ultimate Chef. Everyone had multiple servings, and soon went back to the questions about the exams and school. Glancing over at Hiyoko, Kyoko noticed a sly smirk on her face. She would grow suspicious. But she didn't.

Instead her mind started fogging up, heart beating faster, and body temperature rising. She started panting, as she nearly fell off her chair.

"Kirigiri!", Makoto yelled as he rushed over to her. He felt his mind grow foggy aswell, and glancing around, everyone became a panting mess. Except for Hiyoko. There was an attempt at bickering going on in the group, probably pointed at the blonde girl who didn't eat. Makoto wasn't bothered by it.

His eyes were glued to Kyoko, who was laying in his arms. He couldn't describe what he was feeling. Was he worried for her health? Was his libido sky high because of the drugged food? He studied her face as small beads of sweat formed on her forehead and neck. His mouth had never felt this dry before.

"M-Makoto..." He was knocked to his senses when he felt Leon's hand on his shoulder. He looked an absolute mess aswell. "Think of Maizono..."

Mukuro scooted a bit closer to the three of them, taking over Kyoko from Makoto.

~

Kyoko woke up in the nurses office. She slowly sat up, scanning the area around her. In the bed to her left was Junko, and to her right the girl she recognised as Chiaki. There was an unfamiliar boy next to her bed. He was wearing a uniform, but not the one the other boys wore. Next to him was Nagito. Kyoko's glance turned to the foot of her own bed, where the understudy nurse talked to Hina and Mukuro. They noticed her being awake.

"Hey there sleepyhead!", Hina chimed. "You sure were out cold."

"Do you remember what happened, Kyoko?", Mukuro asked as she grabbed hold of her hand.

"I remember falling on the floor after eating the stew. I'd assume it was drugged."

"You got that right." She looked up to the origin of the voice. It was Nagito from the upper class. "Hiyoko poured in some aphrodisiacs. This isn't the first time it happened.", he laughed it off.

"It happened before?", Kyoko asked. He nodded.

"Hence Mrs. Yukizome was so reluctant to eat it! Oh, I haven't introduced you yet. This is our boyfriend, Hajime Hinata!", he said, pulling the afore mentioned boy to closer.

"Nice to meet you, Hinata!", Hina said. Mukuro tilted her head.

"Our?"

"Y-Yeah.", Hajime said. "Nagito, Chiaki and I are in a relationship."

"Doesn't that get complicated?" He shrugged.

"Not really. Nagito likes me, I like Nagito and Chiaki, Chiaki likes me. It sounds confusing but it's fine. I think?" He looked over at Nagito, who nodded.

"Your uniform.", Kyoko noted. "You're not from Hope's Peak?" He smiled.

"Well yes, but actually no. I'm from the reserve course."

"Reserve course?"

"It's basically a Hope's Peak for regular students, without a talent. So, I'm not an Ultimate."

"Disgusting, right?", Nagito joked. Hajime elbowed him in the side.

"Not to come off as rude or anything,", Hina started, "but our classmate isn't an Ultimate, either. How come he isn't in the reserve course?"

"The one who got picked for the main course? It's the same as Nagito."

"We get accepted into the main course because of our luck. The fact that we managed to win that lottery is our Ultimate talent." He stopped for a second. "But, I feel like there might be more than just Ultimate Luck to Naegi." Hajime shot Nagito a jealous side-eye.


	6. Kyoko's House

Makoto let out an exhausted sigh as he laid in his bed. His clothes were scattered on the floor, as if they were thrown off in a hurry. He covered his face with the hand that wasn't hanging off the bed. God, how he felt embarrassed and ashamed. Sayaka was absent for one day and in all of a sudden he was pressed to Kyoko. He felt horrible, but couldn't stop thinking about her. Sometimes he wondered what would have happened if Leon and Mukuro hadn't shown up. He definitely thanks them, but he was also mad in some way they did.

He turned over to his side, grabbing his phone. The class groupchat was blowing up about what had happened that day.

GUN GOES BRRRR: Apparently that wasn't the first time it happened.

balls arent gay mondo: hah????

corn on the cob: is that why teach was so reluctant

hiiiina: yes owo

Cute Detective: Komaeda mentioned it happened in the past, when he was at my bed in the nursery.

Cute Detective: Kuwata why is my name cute detective?

balls arent gay mondo: ówò

Makoto smiled as he watched the chat bubbles pop up. He was glad things between him and Leon had calmed down. Dare he say it, the Ultimate Baseballer was his best friend. The days they were fighting felt disgusting. Some more texts came in, from private conversations.

Ultimate Cutie: What happened today babey??

Kyoko Kirigiri: How are you feeling, Naegi?

The same feelings of guilt crept to him. He decided to ignore Kyoko for now, seeing that would cause the least amount of damage to everyone. He opened up Sayaka's conversation, and explained what happened. They chatted for a while, whereafter she asked a peculiar question.

Ultimate Cutie: Is the aphrodisiac still intact? :)

A Himbo?: Uhm, not sure. Maybe? Why?

Ultimate Cutie: God you're dense! Come over, I miss you.

A Himbo?: Aren't you sick?

Ultimate Cutie: I feel better :)

Makoto sighed, as he threw the covers off of him. He pulled his clothes back on and made his way downstairs. He was about to head out the door, when his mother stopped him.

"Oh, Mako, heading out?", she asked, looking up from her crossword puzzle. He nodded.

"Sayaka asked me to come over."

"Hmm, after you've had your food drugged with aphrodisiacs?"

"...Don't make this weird, mom." She laughed, raising her hands.

"I didn't say anything! I'm worried about your health honey."

"I'm fine, mom. Really. I'll be heading out now?"

"Sure thing, Mako." He grabbed his coat and opened the front door. "Oh, and use a cond-"

"BYE!"

After the awkward interaction with his mother, he hopped in his car. Before he started it, he figured he'd finally reply to Kyoko. A quick "I'm doing fine, how are you holding up?" would do for now. He started his car and drove off to Sayaka's house.

~

Kyoko sighed in relief as the warm water of the bathtub surrounded her. What a day it was. She had decided it was best for everyone to pretend she didn't remember a thing about what happened with Makoto. Yet she did. She couldn't help the blush that crept to her face as she thought of how close Naegi was in that moment. If she focused hard enough, she could still feel the warmth of his arms around her. She honestly didn't know what to reply to his question of how she was doing. Her phone buzzed again. She dried off her hands and grabbed it, seeing the message from the groupchat with Junko, Mukuro and Hina.

himedere: kyoko!!! when is your birthday?

kuudere 2.0: October 6.

just hina: WHAT?? Why didn't you tell us???

kuudere 2.0: I barely knew you guys.

himedere: still :// its end november stupid. we're still gonne get you a present

kuudere 2.0: There is no need.

Kyoko sighed. She didn't know whether to be annoyed with them, or be happy that they thought about something as stupid as her birthday. She smiled at her phone. Her phone buzzed again, from a private chat.

Makoto Naegi: Are you home? Could I come over?

How peculiar. She quickly texted him her address, and got out of the bath tub.

~

Makoto rang Sayaka's doorbell. She opened it, quickly pulling him inside and kissing him gently.

"Hii~", she chimed. Before he could even say anything, she was pulling him to her bedroom.

"S-Sayaka, shouldn't I say hi to your parents-"

"They aren't home!" She shut the bedroom door behind her, leaning against it. He walked up to her, and softly kissed her forehead.

"You seem excited.", he smiled. She nodded, and pushed him down on the bed. "W-Whoa, easy there!" He felt something small probe his back. He sat up, trying to figure out what it was. Sayaka felt some of the colour drain from her face as Makoto looked for the strange object. He pulled back the covers a bit. He gulped. Stuffed between the bedsheets and the mattress laid a single condom. Used, nonetheless. He turned around to face his girlfriend, who looked terrified. "What is this?" Sayaka let out a small laugh.

"One of our condoms, silly! I forgot to throw it out last time." He glared at her.

"Don't lie to me. We've only done it at my house."

"Did the aphrodisiac fog up your memory, Makoto? I'm not lying.", she said as she tried to grab hold of his hand. He pulled away.

"I... I gotta go. See you at school.", he said as he made his way out of Sayaka's house. She yelled after him, begging him to stay. He ignored her, getting in his car. He wasn't quite ready for his mom's questions on how everything was. He was thinking of people to call. Leon was out of the question, he would probably yell at him or something, Byakuya probably wouldn't care, Mondo or Chihiro is probably with Leon... Scrolling through the names, he found the perfect fit. He shot her a message.

Makoto Naegi: Are you home? Could I come over?

He quickly received a reply.

Kyoko Kirigiri: Sure. I'll text you my address, I suppose you don't have it yet.

After waiting for a bit, thinking about what he was doing, he entered her address in his GPS and saved it. With a final glance at Sayaka's bedroom window, he pulled out of her driveway and made his way over to Kyoko's.

Once arrived at his destination, he took a moment to look at her house. He could park in the driveway, because there was no car there. Probably in the garage. It was a relatively large house, quite modern, too. It was very different from his, which was just a regular old house in a street. Gathering up his courage, he got out of his car and made his way to the front door. He rang the doorbell.

After a few seconds he could see through the window that Kyoko was walking up to the door. She opened it, looking pretty as ever. Wait, what?

"Hi, Naegi."

"Hey." She motioned him to come inside. He followed her as he was led to the main area of the house. The kitchen and dining area made up for half of the house. In the middle was a staircase to the upper floor, and to the right of said staircase was the livingroom.

"Would you like anything to drink?", she asked, walking to the fridge. He nodded, sitting down at one of the bar stools at the kitchen island. "I have some Panta, Dr. Pepper, Sprite Cranberry..." She glanced at him, waiting for an answer.

"S-Some Panta's fine." She grabbed a can for him and herself, and handed him one. "Thanks." She sat down on the bar stool next to him.

"So, what's the matter?" Makoto took a sip.

"I come over and you immediatly assume something is up?" Kyoko nodded.

"I'm the Ultimate Detective, Naegi. Also your eyes are red, you've been crying." He smiled at her. He had indeed been crying on the way to her house.

"Yeah, uh..." He sighed. "So, Sayaka asked me to come over." He fiddled with the top of the can as he spoke. Looking to his right, he saw Kyoko resting her chin on her gloved hand, looking at him. She raised her brow, motioning him to continue. "So I went to her house, and uh..." He sighed. "I found a condom- used condom." He looked back at her, feeling his eyes start to sting again.

"Do you think she's cheating on you?" He shook his head.

"It's probably all just a misunderstanding. But currently I'm too upset to think about it clearly right now." Kyoko nodded, placing her hand on his.

"It's normal you can't think about it clearly for now. It's a shocking thing. You should get your mind off of it for now." She stood up, and grabbed her phone from the dining table. "How does ordering pizza sound?" He smiled at her.

"That sounds nice, Kiri."


	7. The Mask Goes Off

"Say, Kiri." Kyoko looked up at Makoto, who grabbed them a soda from the fridge. He sat down across from her at the dining table. "I don't mean to be invasive, so tell me if you don't want to share. But, I was wondering. Are your parents coming home soon?" Kyoko hummed, opening the can of soda.

"Hmm, I wouldn't count on that." Makoto tilted his head. She smiled. "They're uh... they're dead." His eyes widened.

"Oh my god Kirigiri- I am so sorry-"

"It's fine Naegi. I figured you would react like this." His palm met his forehead.

"God I feel stupid."

"For asking a question?" He nodded. "My mother passed away when I was 6. My dad back in april. Sure, it hurts, but..." Kyoko sighed. "I need to move on." Makoto stood up, and walked over to where the girl was sitting. He sat down next to her.

"Don't move on. Keep them with you, for the rest of your life.", he said as he laid his hand on hers.

"A difficult path, but noble.", she smiled. Only when she looked up at him, she realized how close he was. Kyoko felt her heart pound in her chest as she tried to clear her head. She looked back at their hands. "I'm not sure if I can manage that. I haven't been in their room since my father died."

"Don't say that." Makoto let go of her hand, and used his to cup her cheek. He made her look at him. "Kiri, you are by far one of the strongest people I've ever met. You are doing so amazing, and you should be so, so proud of yourself. I know your parents are." Kyoko felt her eyes start to sting. The doorbell rang. She quickly jumped up and went to get it, leaving Makoto alone at the dining table.  
He looked down at his hand, the one which covered Kyoko's cheek not 10 seconds ago. He hadn't gotten the chance yet to tell her how proud he was of her. As Kyoko walked back in with the two pizzas, Makoto went back to his seat.

"Pineapple on pizza, Naegi? That's a peculiar combo."

"What?? It's great! Have you tried it before?" Kyoko shook her head. He handed her a slice. She grabbed one of her slices aswell, giving it to him. She took a bite of the Hawaiian slice.

"...This is strange."

"But good, isn't it?"

"I don't dislike the taste, but it will take some getting used to." He smiled.

"I'm glad you're stepping out of your comfort zone." Kyoko raised an eyebrow.

"Stepping out of my comfort zone? It's a slice of pizza, Naegi."

"Small steps." Makoto's phone started buzzing. It was his mother. He excused himself for a moment, and walked to the livingroom to pick up.

"Mom?"

"Hi Mako.", she sounded a bit sad and worried. "Where are you? Maizono called me to see if you were here. I thought you were with her?" He sighed.

"I was. We got in a fight and I left, I'm currently at a friend's house. I'll be home soon."

"Alright Mako. Take care, I love you."

"Love you too mom." He hung up the phone, sighing. His glance turned to Kirigiri, who was checking her phone at the dining table. He couldn't help but feel the warmth of her face in the palm of his hand. She was just so cute with her hair in a bun. Slowly but surely, Makoto caught himself starting to feel guilty. He shouldn't be thinking about her this way. He sighed, making his way over to the dining table again.

"How'd it go?", Kyoko asked.

"She was wondering where I was. Apparently Sayaka called her to see if I was home." She frowned.

"So you're gonna have to explain everything again once you're home?" Makoto nodded. "That blows." She opened her mouth to speak again, but decided against it.

"What's up?", he asked as he took another bite of his pizza. Kyoko smiled awkwardly, as she fiddled with the empty soda can.

"It's really dumb, but, I was thinking for a bit. I think I'm going to clean my parents' room this weekend." Makoto smiled.

"You're doing amazing, Kiri."

"But."

"But?"

"I... I don't think I can do it alone." Kyoko glanced down at the can she was fidgeting with. "Are you available, this weekend?" He nodded.

"I'd be honoured to help." After a small silence, the two of them got up to do the few amount of dishes they had. They made some small talk, about Makoto's sister, their dog, Leon who keeps mentioning how he's excited to take out Kyoko upcoming Friday...

"He seems to be really into you.", Makoto said. Kyoko scoffed.

"You really believe that?", she said as she hung up the towel and leaned back against the sink. "I think he's just looking for some 'easy game'."

"Leon can be a real prick sometimes, and sure he looks like he takes out girls as a hobby but..." He leaned next to her. "He's my best friend, I'd say. The fact that he's trying so hard makes it seem to me he's really into you." Kyoko sighed.

"A stupid question, uhm... How did you first realise you were falling for Sayaka?" She looked up at him.

"Hmm... Well, my mother mentions that whenever I talk about her my eyes light up. I catch myself thinking about her, even at moments when I'm not supposed to. Whenever we touch, the feeling lingers for a while. Honestly I could go on for hours. Why do you ask? Think you're falling for someone?" Kyoko shook her head.

"Curiosity." Makoto glanced at the clock, reading it was 10PM at this point. He should be heading home soon. "Heading home?" He looked back at her.

"It's getting pretty late, yeah."

"I'll walk you out."

Makoto unlocked his car. He turned around, and leaned against the car door. Kyoko rubbed her arms for warmth. It was 10PM in a late November evening, and she was only wearing a loose T-shirt. She seriously envied Makoto's turtleneck sweater at this point.

"Thank you, Kiri. Seriously. I had a blast.", he said. His breath formed small clouds in the cold.

"I must thank you, too, Naegi. You opened my eyes." He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. "Spit it out."

"... Can I hug you, Kiri?" She quickly nodded, whereafter Makoto wrapped his arms around her. He felt her shiver. "Ah, quick to respond so you can steal my warmth!" She held him tighter.

"Thank you, Naegi.", she whispered. She felt tears start to sting her eyes again, but managed to drown them out before he let her go. He did eventually. Their eyes met.

"You can just call me Makoto, you know." She nodded.

"I guess you could call me Kyoko, too."

"Head inside, it's freezing. I'll see you at school, Kyoko."

"Have a safe drive, Makoto." They exchanged their goodbyes, as Makoto pulled out of Kyoko's driveway, and she went back inside. She noticed Makoto's coat still hanging over one of the dining chairs. Guess she had to bring it with her the next day. Turning off the lights, and making sure everything was locked, Kyoko got ready for bed.

~

Makoto shivered as he walked onto the school grounds. How stupid he was for forgetting his coat at Kyoko's house. Sayaka had sent him multiple messages. He ignored them. His focus was on asking Kyoko what he forgot to yesterday. Something that would confirm whether Sayaka was loyal or not. As he thought about the situation, he didn't notice he nearly walked into two girls standing in the hallway.

"Oh, I am so sorry!", he said.

"Oh shit, aren't you from class 78?", one of them said.

"Y-yeah, why?"

"Haaah, I figured!! You seem so small!", she laughed as she got elbowed by the other girl.

"Apologies for my friend. Are you alright, you seem pretty stirred up?" Makoto nodded.

"My thoughts are all over the place, but other than that I'm fine." The girl smiled, while the other glared at her.

"Why are you glaring at me?"

"... Flat chested bitch." Makoto quickly excused himself, heading to his classroom. He threw his backpack on his desk, as he was approached by Sayaka.

"Hey..." He looked at her.

"Hey." She fiddled with her thumbs. Getting a good luck at her, he could tell she was on the verge of tears. He always hated seeing her like that. He decided to follow his heart instead of his brain, which was shouting that the whole situation was not okay. But his heart ached for her. Makoto hesitatingly grabbed hold of her hands. "Let's just... pretend yesterday never happened. Start with a clean slate."

"You believe me?"

"I don't know." He pulled her in a hug. "I don't know if I believe you, I just... I don't want to fight." He glanced to the side of the classroom, where Kyoko was chatting with Mukuro and Junko. A feeling of guilt spiraled down his back. Why? Why does he feel guilty hugging his own girlfriend while Kyoko is in the same room?

"Kyoko?", Junko snapped her back to reality. "You good girl?" She nodded.

"I'm alright, thank you." She thought back to what Makoto said last night. How it feels to fall in love. How their touch lingers, how your eyes light up when you speak of them, how they're constantly on your mind. It made Kyoko worry. She was afraid enough of falling in love. She was even more afraid of feeling something for him. Junko waved her hand in front of her face.

"Girl, you're way out of it! Did something happen?" Kyoko let out an awkward chuckle. Her composure was breaking, as a look of panic started to spread in her face like a disease. Each time she glanced at them, a pin was stabbed in her heart.

"C-Can we.. bathroom.." Mukuro and Junko nodded, getting her out off the classroom. Hina followed suit, once she noticed them leaving. The four of them made their way to the first floor bathroom. Once arrived, Kyoko sat down at the windowsill.

"What happened, Kyoko?", Hina asked. She tried to collect herself.

"I think I'm falling in love with Makoto."


	8. A Date With Leon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! I'm trying to make my chapters a bit longer, so please let me know if you'd like them longer or shorter! (Could influence the update schedule ofc)

The week went by insanely slow. Every single day that passed, Kyoko could feel a rope around her neck tighten. Everytime she glanced over to Makoto and Sayaka, it felt like Monday never even happened. That he never went to her house. That he never was crying in her kitchen.

It was Friday. Kyoko had figured by now she was definitely falling for Makoto, as much as she didn't want that. So she did what she could best. Repress it. And it would fade again. She was making some notes in her notebook, as someone leaned on her desk. She looked up, seeing Leon.

"Hey, Kirigiri. What time should I pick you up this evening?" Kyoko's hand met her face.

"Ah, I forgot about that. My apologies, Kuwata. How does 7 sound?" He nodded, smiling.

"Sounds great! Be ready for me~", he said, as he walked back over to Mondo and Chihiro. Not even ten seconds and the next person was already there to demand Kyoko's attention. A knee gently met her arm. Kyoko looked up, seeing Sayaka. A wave of nauseousness consumed her.

"What are you two up to?", Maizono asked, as she grabbed the chair next to Kyoko's and sat down.

"He's been persisting I go on a date with him. So, I'm going out with him tonight."

"Whoa, really? I wouldn't expect Leon to be your type!"

"He isn't. I don't really have a type, anyways." She sighed. "How are things going between you and Makoto?" Sayaka smiled as she looked at her hands.

"We got in a small fight earlier this week, but that's cleared up. We're doing great again." Kyoko forced a smile.

"I'm glad to hear that. How come you got in a fight?" She let out an awkward chuckle.

"It's something dumb, really..." Sayaka sighed. "He kind of forgot our 11 month anniversary... I got really mad at him for that."

"Eleven months? That's quite the while." Kyoko felt like she could vomit, preferably in Sayaka's face. The fact she was lying about why her and Makoto got in a fight pretty much confirmed everything to her.

"It is, huh? I honestly couldn't picture him or me with anyone else anymore." This whole situation was so strange. Kyoko knew she was lying, because why would he? Yet there was still that glimmer in her eyes.

"I'm glad you two are happy together." God how she hated lying. Being lied to or telling them herself, she hated it. And somehow she felt forced to lie in this moment. Kyoko jumped as Sayaka laid her hand on her leg.

"I know one day you'll find someone who looks at you the way Makoto and I look at eachother." She smiled. "Perhaps you've already found him." She glanced at Leon, then back to Kyoko. She said her goodbyes as Yukizome walked in, and went back to her seat. Kyoko noticed Mukuro looking at her. They shot eachother a sympathetic smile.

Slowly but surely, the day came to an end. Kyoko was packing up her backpack, as Yukizome walked over to her. She waited for everyone to leave. She placed her hand on Kyoko's arm.

"Kirigiri, I'm worried about you. You've been very absent the past week, your classmates have noticed too. Is everything alright?" She nodded.

"I'm fine, Mrs Yukizome. Thank you for worrying. I'll tell the rest that, aswell." She swung her bag over her shoulder, but was stopped.

"I'll take you on your word for now. But you can always talk to me about it. Have a nice weekend, Kirigiri."

"Thank you. You too."

The walk home felt so tiresome. The rain didn't help, either. Kyoko was soaked when she got home. She threw her bag on the couch, and headed upstairs to the bathroom. She glanced in the mirror. Her hair was dripping, and there were mascara tracks on her cheeks. She sighed, filling up the bathtub with warm water for a much needed bath. Once it was full, she got in and grabbed her phone. It was about two hours before Leon would be there to pick her up, so she had some time to kill. Her phone buzzed, with an incoming message.

Makoto Naegi: Hey there!! How are you feeling? You seemed pretty down this week :((

She smiled.

Kyoko Kirigiri: Nothing that matters, thank you for worrying.

Makoto Naegi: What a relief!! For this weekend, maybe you'd like to have dinner at my place once we finished cleaning your parents' room? :L

Kyoko Kirigiri: Sure.

Glancing at the time again, Kyoko figured it was time to get out of the bath. She quickly washed her hair before doing so, and got up. Wrapping a towel around herself, she went to her room to find something to wear. Inspecting the closet, she decided to go with a pink dress she got from Junko. She pulled on her clothes, throwing some tights on aswell, and went back downstairs. She killed some more time doing her dishes from that morning, and soon her doorbell rang. She went to open it, meeting with Leon.

"Hi Kirigiri!" He smiled. "You... You look amazing."

"Thank you, Kuwata. Where are we headed?"

"Oh, there's a nice Italian restaurant a bit further down the street. I assume you've been there?" The two of them started to walk in the direction of said restaurant. Kyoko shook her head.

"No, I never really go out. Kind of peculiar to go to a restaurant by yourself."

"Fair, fair." The walk to the restaurant was relatively awkward and quiet. It was almost as if Leon was intimated by her presence. Once arrived at the restaurant, they were seated very quick.

"This is quite a nice place.", Kyoko said as she laid her purse at the side of the table.

"I know, right? My friend on the baseball team recommended this place to me, we go here a lot after practice." He grabbed one of the menus. "You should come watch us sometime." Kyoko smiled, grabbing a menu herself.

"I'm not that into sports, but I won't doubt it's interesting. I'll see if I can make the time for it."

"That's what I wanna hear, heh. Say, do you drink or is it like a big nono?" Kyoko shook her head.

"Definitely not. At least, not yet."

"Bummer, this place has some nice wines."

"A virgin cocktail seems in place for now." Leon chuckled.

"I expected no less of you. Like a true classy lady!" She let out a small laugh. The waiter came to grab their orders, and left as soon as it was written down. "So, if I may ask.", Leon started. "You seemed out of it this week, you okay?"

"God, everyone is asking me that." He raised an eyebrow. "Everything's fine, really. It's a girl thing."

"Oooooh, that's all I need to hear.", he laughed. The waiter brought their drinks.

"Say, Kuwata.", Kyoko said as she stirred her drink with the straw. "How come you were so dead set on going out with me?" He smiled.

"Haah?? Is that even a question?" He rested his elbow on the table, leaning a bit closer. "Have you seen yourself, Kirigiri? You're quite the catch, any idea how much I could brag with you?" He laughed, as Kyoko looked annoyed. "But no, for real. You're really interesting, and I'd love to get to know you better." Leon took a swig of his drink.

"Thank you, Kuwata. I'd like to get to know you better, too." He raised an eyebrow.

"Hmmm, are you sure?" Kyoko slightly tilted her head, asking what without needing to say it. "You seem to have your eye on Makoto." His name stung. It reminded her of how Sayaka, who she would consider a friend, treated him and how she lied to her.

"I do not." Leon laughed. There was some sadness in there.

"Don't bother, I can tell." He sighed. "I know the feeling."

"... You have your eye on Makoto?"

"N-No, that's not what I mean! He's my bro, but not like Mondo and Taka are eachother's bros! I don't swing that way.", he chuckled again. "No, uhm... I have a bigass crush on Maizono. Kinda sucks she's dating my best friend though." Kyoko hummed.

"They seem happy together."

"They're adorable. It stings, though." Kyoko smiled into her drink. She felt understood, if only a little.

"It does..." She caught Leon's attention with that.

"So you do like him?" She sighed, putting down her drink.

"I don't know. It's incredibly confusing- why am I even telling you this?"

"It's because I'm so charming, hehe~"

"...Keep telling yourself that."

"What? It's true!" They had a chuckle. Out of all people, Kyoko never expected to share a connection with Leon. It was nice to know that there was someone that felt the way she did, someone she could talk to. Sure, she could talk to her friends. But they would go on to smack talk Sayaka, simply for being with Makoto. Leon understood the situation they were in, that there was no way the two of them could be broken up anytime soon, unless something major happened. Though Kyoko still couldn't share her suspicions. Not to her friends, they would freak out. Not to Makoto, it would ruin him. And not to Leon, since he had a crush on the thought-to-be culprit.

The rest of the night was quite pleasant. The food was good, and Leon had managed to crack her up a couple of times. It soon came to an end, and the two found themselves back at Kyoko's doorstep.

"Thank you, for tonight, Kuwata. I had a lot of fun."

"Me too, Kirigiri. I'm glad I convinced you to come." He awkwardly kicked some stoned at his feet. "This is the part where I would kiss you or something, but seeing as we both like someone else-"

"Yeah don't do that." He nodded, looking up at her.

"See you on Monday." She nodded.

"Until Monday." She proceeded to go inside, watching as Leon hopped on his motorcycle and left. She didn't expect to have had this much. Feeling some yawns coming up, she decided to go to bed early. Well, early. It was already 11pm. She put on her pyjamas, and got into bed. She checked her phone, and saw some unread messages from the group with Junko, Hina and Mukuro.

himedere: mukuro shut up!!! im picking an outfit for my shoot tomorrow

kuudere 1.0: Huh? I'm having a snack. Sorry if the pots are loud.

just hina: GUYS KYOKO'S ONLINE

himedere: KYOKO!!! HOW DID IT GO

just hina: DID YOU KISS

himedere: IS HE IN YOUR BED

kuudere 2.0: Calm down. It was nice, but we're not interested in eachother like that. Nothing happened.

himedere: aww look at you saving yourself for Makoto :3

kuudere 2.0: I'm not "saving myself" for anyone. I'll be going to sleep, figure you should do the same.

kuudere 1.0: Goodnight, Kyoko. Glad you had fun.

just hina: goodnight!! uwu

himedere: sleep tight nerd :P

~~

An awful stench filled Makoto's nose as he came down the stairs. What a nice way to start your Saturday morning. Walking into the kitchen, he saw the origin of the horrible smell. His father was hunched over by the door, a roll of paper towels at his side. His mother was petting the dog, as Komaru cried. He hurried over to his sister, and hugged her.

"Shh... What happened?" She hugged him tight.

"Kneecaps threw up, and he's having some diarrhea.", his mom said. "We're getting him ready for the vet." Makoto smiled.

"He'll be fine, Komaru." She nodded. He let her go, ruffling her hair. "Call Toko. It'll make you feel better."

"Y-Yeah.", she sniffed. "She always cheers me up." Komaru grabbed her phone off of the table, and walked in the bathroom to call her girlfriend. Makoto took a peek over his dad's shoulder, scrunching his face at the horrible smell and sight.

"I assume you're not too hungry anymore, bud?" He shook his head.

"I'll pass for breakfast today, I think." His mother stood up.

"Oh, speaking of food." He looked at her. "Your friend is staying for dinner, right? Anything I can't make?"

"Hmm, she mentioned she's allergic to peppers. She isn't too fond of onions, either."

"Oh, a she?" Komaru walked back in the room. "Is Maizono alright with that?", their mother joked.

"Mom, she hangs with other guys all the time, I'm sure she won't mind."

"Wait, who's coming over?", Komaru asked as she grabbed her jacket.

"Kyoko is. I'm helping her clean out some stuff at her house, and she's having dinner here." His sister gasped.

"Yay, Kirigiri's coming!" Her mother raised an eyebrow.

"You know her?"

"I've seen her like once, when we went to the mall. She's really nice."

"That's good to hear. Can't wait to meet her." Makoto smiled. "Alright, Komaru, you ready to go?" She nodded, and the three of them went out the door. With the smell of vomit and poop finally out of the dining room, Makoto decided to go grab himself a small breakfast. He sat down at the dining table, checking his phone. He saw a bunch of notifactions from his groupchat with Leon, Mondo and Chihiro. They were talking about the date Leon had with Kyoko. It seemed to have gone really well. The group was spammed with gifs of lovebirds and other typically romantic things. Makoto felt a small pit in his stomach. He put his phone down, and went to put his dishes in the dishwasher. He made his way into the bathroom, and hopped in the shower. After a couple of minutes, he got out and dried himself off. Once fully dressed, he went back in the dining room to check his phone. He had one text.

Kyoko Kirigiri: What time are you coming over? I'm sort of at McDonalds, incase you're here for lunch.

Makoto Naegi: McChicken :)) quickly grabbing some stuff and I'll be there :D

A minute later he received a reply.

Kyoko Kirigiri: I've already left. You're lucky I know you well enough, got a McChicken and some fries.

Makoto Naegi: i love you <3

Kyoko Kirigiri: Don't say that.

Makoto chuckled. He made his way up the stairs and entered his room. He grabbed a sweater and his backpack. His eye fell on a picture of him and Sayaka, framed on his desk. It was a picture of past summer, of them at the beach. He smiled, yet it stung. Even though he's pretending nothing happened, he can't help but feel upset about it. It definitely isn't healthy, he knows that. But he can't lose her. Not in the same way he lost his ex. He sighed as he checked his phone.

Kyoko Kirigiri: I was walking home and saw this cool duck. I took a photo of it, I thought you'd like it.

Makoto smiled. It was indeed a cool duck.


	9. Mom

TW /// mentions of suicide

Kyoko preheated her oven whilst waiting for Makoto to arrive. She put the food on the counter and the drinks in the fridge. She grabbed her phone and sat down on one of the bar stools, waiting on her friend. A couple of minutes later, her doorbell rang. She put her phone down and went to open it.

"Hiii.", Makoto said, his usual bright smile plastered on his face.

"Hey. Come in, it's cold." He nodded. He hung up his coat on the rack, in the hopes of not forgetting it this time around. He was wearing that turtleneck of his again, and to be frank, Kyoko was jealous. She didn't have one. "I'll grab some cleaning supplies from the garage, you can help yourself if you want anything to drink." Makoto nodded as she entered the door underneath the stairs.

Rummaging through the mess that was the garage, she managed to find a mop, broom, some cleaning detergents and cloths. That should be good for now. Gathering everything in a bucket, she made her way back to the kitchen and dining area. Makoto was looking at some photos on the wall, while sipping some Panta. He noticed Kyoko come back in.

"Mm, Kyoko." He motioned her to come over. She put the supplies down and did as so. "Where are these photos taken? It seems so familiar."

"These? My dad took them when we went on a holiday to the Caribbeans. These are just some pictures at the hotel pool." A light bulb would have lit up above Makoto's head.

"Oh, that's why they're familiar! We went to the Caribbeans a couple of years back aswell, and I think it may be the same resort!" Kyoko smiled.

"Small world."

"Indeed.", Makoto smiled as he looked at her. And the butterflies were back. "So, chief. I have barely touched a dish in my life I have to admit, where do we start?", he said as he put his soda on the kitchen counter.

"Well first things first, I expect there to be a lot of cobwebs. So we'll need to dust the place and rummage through it. I doubt we'll be able to finish today."

"That's okay!", Makoto said as he grabbed the bucket and elbowed her lightly. "Gives me another excuse to hang out with you."

"Hmm, so eager? Shouldn't we eat something first?"

"Oh, right! I totally forgot." He scratched the back of his neck, whereafter he put the bucket back down. They grabbed everything they needed, and waited as the McDonalds warmed up in the oven. Kyoko noticed Makoto looking at the oven with a strange look on his face.

"Makoto? Everything okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I just figured I've never seen anyone warm up their food in an oven." Kyoko's eyes widened as she quickly looked away, in an attempt to hide her blush.

"I'm not gonna put it in the microwave. It'll come out tasting like cardboard." He laughed.

"Fair, fair." She looked back at him. There he was again, smiling that sweet smile of his. The timer on Kyoko's phone went off, indicating that it has been a couple of minutes. The food was probably warm by now. The two of them grabbed the food and drinks and sat down at Kyoko's dining table. There was a comfortable silence between them as they ate. There were a lot of things on Kyoko's mind, especially how Makoto and Sayaka made up so quick. She wanted to tell him what was going on, and how Sayaka lied to her. But, to be honest, she was scared. She realised she must have drifted off, when Makoto called her back to reality.

"Kyoko? Are you alright?" She nodded, having a sip of her soda. Makoto frowned, putting his drink down. "Kyoko. I'm not gonna force you to, but I want you to know that you can tell me anything. If I'm honest, I'm quite worried about you."

"You shouldn't worry for me, Makoto. I'm doing fine." He let out a silent sigh, nodding. It made Kyoko almost feel guilty. "But, if there ever is anything,", she started. He looked up at her. "You'll be the first to know, alright?"

"As long as you know you can always come to me." He held out his pinkie. Kyoko smiled, sealing the pinkie promise. Finishing up their meal, the two of them stood up. Makoto took hold of the bucket once more. "Are you ready?" She sighed.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

They made their way up the stairs, and down the hall. Kyoko showed him which room was hers and which was the bathroom. At the end of the hall, was her parents their bedroom. The door was a more faded white than the other doors. The girl slightly jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. He shot her a soothing smile, which motivated her to open the door. The room smelled very musty, so their first instincts were to open up a window. The bed was only half made, the other half clearly slept in, even if it had been quite the while. There was a lot of dust on the furniture, especially on the dresser and Kyoko's father's desk. She took a deep breath, and gave a cloth to Makoto. The two of them started dusting the place, him starting with the dresser and her with the desk. As she wiped the dust off of the chair, she noticed Makoto looking at a photo he held. She made her way over to him.

"This is adorable." Kyoko took one look at the photo and cringed. It was a photo of her dressed as a princess for Halloween. She appeared to be around four. Next to the little girl stood her mother. "You look a lot like her." That made her smile.

"My father would always talk so fondly of her. Apparently she used to call me her blessing. My dad kept on calling me that, even after she passed away." Kyoko walked back over to the desk, continuing her cleaning duty.

"A suiting nickname.", Makoto said. She turned her head towards him and smiled. She didn't say anything. "I'm not gonna rummage through the drawers, so I'll move on over to dusting the closet." Kyoko nodded, as she opened one of her father's desk drawers. In one of them, was an old envelope with "Kanna" written on them. Though she may not remember much of her, she did know that was her mother's name. As curiosity killed the cat, she opened the envelope. And boy, curiosity sure did the number on her. She couldn't help as the tears streamed down her face, her knees trembling as she read what was on the piece of paper. Her breath hitched, catching Makoto's attention. Her knees gave up on her, as she fell on the ground. He ran over to her, wrapping his arms around her. She sobbed. Makoto tried to whisper her words of comfort as he held her close. Minutes passed, though they felt like hours. After a while, Kyoko managed to start to recollect herself.

"What happened?", Makoto asked. He still hadn't let go of her. So there they sat, intertwined on the floor of Kyoko's parents their bedroom. She took a deep breath, reaching for the piece of paper.

"M-My mother." She cleared her throat. "My father always told me that she died of some illness, and that she didn't suffer any pain. Turns out that was a lie."

"How so?"

"S-She...", Kyoko sighed. "This is her suicide note." Makoto's eyes widened, and started to sting aswell. He held Kyoko tighter, if that was even possible to begin with. She let go of the paper, and wrapped her arms around him aswell. They sat there for a couple of minutes, not exchanging any words. Just warmth, and to be frank, that was all Kyoko could ask for in that moment.

She had no idea how much time had passed when she opened her eyes again. Kyoko was laying on the couch, covered in a fleece blanket. She groaned as she sat up, hearing footsteps come towards her. Makoto kneeled down in front of her, handing her a glass of water.

"How are you feeling?", he asked as he tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

"I'm alright." She took a sip of her water. "Thank you, Makoto. For being there for me."

"It's my pleasure, Kyoko.", he smiled.

"How long have I been out?"

"Only about thirty minutes." He rested his hand on her leg, which caused her to blush. He really had no clue what he did to her, did he? "If I'm honest, I think it may be a better idea to lay off of cleaning the rest of the room for now. Would you like to watch a movie?" Kyoko nodded, and lifted the blanket off of her. She went to the small cabinet at the side of the couch, and rummaged through the movies she had.

"What kind of thing do you want to watch?", she asked, picking a few boxes from the shelf.

"Oh, I'm up for anything, really."

"Anything?", Kyoko questioned as she closed the cabinet, and made her way to her backpack, which was resting at the dining table.

"... You're scaring me."

"Junko borrowed me some movies she wanted me to watch. So maybe we should have a look at one of those?"

"Sounds good. What do you have?"

"Let's see..." She dug through her backpack. "365 Days, Saw, Spree, The Babysitter..."

"A-Are they all horror movies?"

"No, I don't think 365 Days is a horror movie. She mentioned it was more romantic, and that I 'shouldn't watch it around adults'." Makoto shrugged.

"It can't be that bad, right?"

~~

Makoto took a sip of his hot chocolate as the credits rolled. He looked over to his side, where Kyoko sat. She looked traumatised. He let out a chuckle.

"You okay?"

"We're never speaking of this again." He laughed.

"Sounds good to me. It wasn't that bad though." Kyoko stood up.

"I need some water." As she made her way over to her kitchen, Makoto took the time to check his phone. It was 5PM by now, and probably time they headed to his house. He nudged the blanket off of him, and made his way towards the kitchen aswell. Kyoko was hunched over at the sink, still staring into the abyss. He put his cup down in said sink, and gently nudged her.

"Again, are you alright?"

"I'm gonna kill Junko."

"Please don't.", he laughed. "I don't think she expected you to watch it with me." She groaned grabbing her phone off of the counter.

"We should-"

"Head to my place?" She nodded.

"How did you know I was gonna say that?"

"Oh, I'm psychic!" Kyoko looked at him with a judgemental expression. "I'm kidding. I have a good intuition." He smiled at her. "Go grab a coat, it's still cold out." She nodded, making her way to the coat rack. They made their way out the house and into Makoto's car. The drive to his house wasn't long, and Kyoko could appreciate the musical numbers his playlist had. It was a pleasant ride. After parking his car, Makoto sighed.

"Are you doing okay?", Kyoko asked. He turned towards her, and shot her an awkward smile. He opened his mouth to speak, but seemed hesitant. He sighed, and grabbed Kyoko's hand with his.

"Let me know if you're uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable?"

"My family can be a bit... much. They're really affectionate and all of that, and right now your comfort is my biggest priority. I'm also kind of worried they'll ask some annoying questions..."

"Like? It's fine if they ask about my parents, Makoto, everyone does. Though it... will feel weird to say my mother committed suicide instead of dying of an illness..."

"Look at me, Kyoko." She turned to face him. "You don't owe anyone an explanation. Not my parents, not me, Mukuro or anyone else." He reached out to cup her cheek, but Kyoko kept his hand away. He let out an awkward chuckle. "S-Sorry."

"It's fine. Let's go inside." Makoto nodded, and the two of them stepped out of the car. He looked around for a bit, taking notice that his parents' car wasn't here. He shrugged, grabbing his keys and opening the front door. Kyoko heard Cappy bark, and flinched for a second.

"... Are you scared of dogs?" She frowned at him.

"No, I'm not. He just startled me." The devil in question made his way to Kyoko, jumping at her in the process. He wagged his tail, and panted. The girl smiled, crouching down to make sure his paws were on the floor.

"Here, let me get that.", Makoto said as he took Kyoko's coat from her. She was petting the dog, and squealed when it licked her face. She seemed to laugh it off though.

It couldn't help but bring a smile to Makoto's face. He was still holding on to Kyoko's coat. It was still warm and soft. He collected his thoughts quickly, pondering if that was creepy or not. He hung up the coat, and turned his attention to the girl again.

"Can I get you something to drink?", he asked her. She nodded, rising back up. She dusted some of the dog hairs off of her skirt.

"I'll just have what you're having." Makoto nodded, heading over to the bar to grab a bottle of soda and two drinking glasses. He put them down on the table and filled them up. There was a creak at the other end of the living room, which caught their attention. The backdoor opened, revealing Komaru. She gasped when she saw Kyoko.

"Kirigiri!! Hi!", she said as she walked over to them. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well, thank you for asking. How are you?", Kyoko asked.

"I'm doing great." Makoto put his glass down, humming to get his sister's attention.

"How was the vet?" Komaru smiled as she scratched the dog behind his ear.

"So you know how when you really believe you are sick, you actually get sick, right?" They nodded. "Well, it turns out Cap was craving attention. So I guess that made him sick?"

"I don't follow?", Makoto said.

"Basically, he was pretending to be sick to get attention." Kyoko chuckled.

"I didn't know that was a thing that happened.", she said, kneeling down at the furry friend. She gave him some scratches under his chin.

"The vet said it happens a lot, though mostly with cats."

"They can be so extra. Oh, by the way Komaru, where are mom and dad?", Makoto said as he walked over to the livingroom. He opened the small cabinet which the TV rested on, pulling out a case. He unpacked it, revealing a Nintendo Switch.

"Oh, they're just at the grocery store. Dad decided he wasn't in the mood for pasta, so they went out to get something else. Are you setting up the Switch?", she replied as she made her way over to him. Kyoko smiled as she watched them. They were bickering, convinced that the HDMI outlet Makoto used was either the wrong one or the correct one. Sometimes Kyoko wondered what her life would be like if she had a sibling. An older brother, or a little sister. She'd definitely be a lot less lonely, that's for sure. Makoto and Komaru were ecstatic when they got the Switch to work. He waved for Kyoko to come over. She did as so, and he pushed a Joycon in her hand.

"What are we playing?", she asked.

"I'll let you choose.", he said. "We have Mario Party, Smash, Mario Kart..." Kyoko scrolled through the menu, eventually opening up Smash Ultimate. Komaru grinned.

"I am so gonna kick your asses.", she said. Makoto glared at her. He opened up a regular battle, and everyone picked their character.

"Wait, how do these controls work?", Kyoko asked as she tried to pick a character from the huge roster.

"B to jump, Y to attack, this is shield...", Komaru explained the inputs to the confused girl. Makoto grinned as he started the match.

"Makoto you ass!! I wasn't done explaining!", Komaru yelled.

"I know! Why do you think I started??"

They played a couple of matches. Komaru won most, but Kyoko managed to snag a couple of victories herself. Makoto seemed annoyed he got his ass handed to him. Their attention turned to the front door opening, and in walked his parents. They stood up and went to greet them.

"Hi!", Makoto's mother said. "You must be Kirigiri! It's so nice to meet you!", she said as she shook Kyoko's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, too."

"Our boy talks a lot about you, we need to silence him a lot.", Makoto's dad joked.

"He does...?" Kyoko quickly looked back at Makoto, who had his face in his hands.

"Oh, yeah! He says you're really sweet, smart, calm... Oh, pretty to-"

"That's enough dear.", Mrs. Naegi stopped her husband. "Mako, have you shown Kirigiri around the house yet?"

"... Somehow it hasn't crossed my mind she should know where the bathroom is.", he replied. Komaru laughed. He shuffled a bit closer to Kyoko. "Let's start upstairs." She nodded, and the two of them made their way upstairs. Komaru turned off the Nintendo Switch, when she was nudged by her mother.

"Those two... Anything we should know?", she asked. Komaru shook her head.

"Makoto's still with Maizono, they made up a few days ago."

"He just forgave her like that?", Mrs. Naegi sighed. "I'm scared for him. He's too kind for his own good."

~~

"And this is my bedroom.", Makoto said as he opened the door. It was a pretty big room, with a twin-size bed and a desk in the corner. There were some pictures on the wall. Walking closer to them, Kyoko noticed who was on the photos. There were photos of Makoto and Sayaka, with Leon, more with Sayaka... Near the corner was a picture with all the boys from their class.

"These are really nice photos.", Kyoko said. She felt a brick in her stomach as she glanced at the photos with Sayaka. She heard a sigh behind her. She turned around, seeing Makoto sitting down on the bed. He motioned her to sit down next to him.

"I owe you an apology. And an explanation.", he said.

"How so?"

"About what happened Tuesday. That Sayaka and I made up so quick."

"You don't need to explain anything, Makoto." She placed her hand on his.

"I do. I owe it to you." He sighed. "I figured that the aphrodisiacs messed with my mind a lot, and maybe caused some form of memory loss? So, I made up with Sayaka. I trust her over some dumb chemical." Kyoko pulled her hand back, and squinted.

"You're lying. Why are you lying, Makoto?" He shot her a quick glance.

"I don't know why I didn't guess you'd see through that, you're the Ultimate Detective." He let out a sad chuckle. "I hate fighting. I'm still incredibly mad at myself for forgiving her that easily, but I love her. And I don't want to risk everything we've built up over the year." Kyoko felt her eyes start to sting, yet tried to shrug it off.

"You really do love her, huh?"

"Y-Yeah.", he sniffed. She grabbed his hands again.

"I need to tell you something, Makoto."


	10. The Tree

Sayaka lied to Kyoko? He honestly couldn't believe it. Makoto was on his way back home from bringing Kyoko to her house, as he couldn't stop thinking about it. He loved Sayaka, with all his heart, and would never want to doubt her. But he cared so much for Kyoko, and put so much faith in her. Makoto sighed as he came across another red light. If he went right, he'd go home. If he went straight, he'd go in the direction of Sayaka's house. Turning on his blinker, he took a left when the light ran green. After a few more minutes, he parked in the driveway. Makoto saw the motorbike in the driveway, so Leon was definitely home. He stepped out of the car, and rang the doorbell. Leon opened the door.

"Oh hey dude! What's up?", he said.

"Hey. Do you have time to talk a bit?" Leon nodded, letting Makoto in the house. He greeted Leon's parents, and they made their way to his bedroom. They sat down on the bed. Makoto groaned and laid down.

"Jeez man, whatever's going on seems to be really bothering you." Makoto nodded.

"Kyoko told me something I can't quite wrap my head around."

"What did she say? Does she have a crush on you or something?" Makoto laughed.

"No way. No, uhm... Apparently Sayaka lied to her about the reason we had gotten in a fight. She told her it was an anniversary thing." Leon nodded.

"I wouldn't take it so heavy."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, judging by what you told me, about the condom, I can see why Maizono would lie about it. She's probably really embarrassed about it, and didn't figure that Kirigiri actually knows the truth. They're girls, they're dramatic.", Leon said as he grabbed two bottles of soda from his mini-fridge.

"Huh, I hadn't even thought of it that way. It actually makes a lot of sense."

"Duh, I always make sense.", he said, handing Makoto a bottle.

"Oh, before I forget to ask. How was your dinner with Kyoko?" Leon smiled, sitting back down next to his friend.

"It was really nice. We bonded a lot, and I felt a real connection.", he replied. Makoto nudged him.

"That's awesome! And what do you mean with connection, hmm?"

"Oh, I uh..."

"It's fine, you don't need to tell me. I can read it on your face." Makoto took a swig of his soda. "So when did you start liking her?" Leon nearly choked on his drink.

"O-Oh, uh, a few weeks ago.", he said after he was done coughing. "I don't think she feels the same though."

"Kyoko's... different. She gives people the impression that she's calm and always has everything under control, which sometimes couldn't be further from the truth. Playing MarioKart with her is chaotic, to say the least.", Makoto laughed. "She's a really warm person, and I honestly I feel she really need a strong shoulder for her to rely on." A small blush crawled to his cheeks. "She tries to do everything on her own, but she's starting to accept more of my help. She's always there for me, even when it feels I'm treating her in a horrid way. She's probably one of the-"

"Bud?"

"O-Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to rant like that.", Makoto awkwardly laughed. "What is it?"

"Are you in love with Kirigiri or something?" Now it was Makoto's turn to choke on his drink.

"What?! No, no way!! I'm with Sayaka, and I love Sayaka. I would never do that to her." The redhead put his hand on the other's shoulder.

"I'm not saying it is the case, but, if it were, it's not something that can be helped. Feelings are a bitch. It's important that you're honest with yourself, Mac."

"I am honest with myself, Leon. I don't feel anything for Kyoko, she's just a good friend. P-Please drop it... I don't want to get in a fight again." Leon nodded. They sat in silence for a while. Eventually, the redhead spoke up.

"Text your parents, you're staying the night.", he said as he chucked a controller to Makoto. "Chihiro let me borrow their copy of Hyrule Warriors, and you're helping me finish it because I'm struggling so bad." Makoto smiled, and nodded.

~~  
Kyoko sighed as she finally arrived at school. What a shit Monday. It was raining, and she overslept, too. As she made her way to the front gates, she saw a familiar figure sitting by a tree. She glanced at him, then back at the school, then back at him. She sighed. She was late to begin with, so might aswell get her good deed done for the day. She made her way over to the boy, and sat down next to him.

"Hello, Hinata."

"Hey..."

"What's the matter?", Kyoko spoke as she nestled her umbrella inbetween them.

"Long story..."

"Ah, I get it. You feel inferior to Nanami and Komaeda because they're Ultimates, and you're in the reserve course." Hajime looked up, confused. 

"W-Wh? How did you figure that out?"

"I'm the Ultimate Detective, Hinata.", she smiled. He smiled back.

"Explains a lot." He leaned back against the tree, and stared at a puddle which was forming on the pavement. "I don't need to be a detective to see you're upset, too. What's going on?"

"It doesn't matter, it's fine." She felt Hajime lean his head against her shoulder. She leaned her head against his.

"This is nice.", he said after a small period of silence.

"Being depressed under a tree?" He nodded.

"So how come you're late?"

"I overslept. I've been having a lot of nightmares."

"They're usually caused by negative emotions. Which brings me back to asking why you're upset." Kyoko sighed.

"I have feelings for someone, but they're way out of my league.", she said. Hajime sat up.

"Is it about Naegi? Nagito mentioned him a couple of times." Kyoko sighed again, nodding.

"Yes. He has a girlfriend, but... I think she's cheating on him."

"Oh, shit. That sucks."

"Yup..." Kyoko reached in her bag, pulling out some candy bars. She handed one to Hajime. "Now, tell me about your inferiority complex."

"There's not a lot to say about it, is there?", he said as he took a bite. "Chiaki and Nagito are Ultimates. They're the hope of the future, destined for greatness and I... I'm just me. A nobody." He sighed.

"Then forge your destiny.", Kyoko said.

"Forge my destiny?"

"That Nanami and Komaeda are destined for greatness, does not imply that you aren't. You don't need to be an Ultimate to achieve something."

"You get more chances to do so, though..."

"I won't deny that. But that doesn't mean you can't excel in other things. Take Komaeda for example.", Kyoko said as she turned to face Hajime. "I've had a few chats with him, and he always mentions two things. Hope, and you. Chances are he links those two things, too. Even if you think you haven't achieved anything and never will, the people around you will beg to differ. You're his hope, and the same will count for Nanami. That's already a huge achievement you're not facing." Hajime looked up at her, on the verge of tears. She sighed, wrapping her arms around him.

"Talk to Naegi.", he said. They pulled away from the hug.

"You want me to tell him that his girlfriend of nearly a year might be cheating on him?"

"Does he deserve to know the truth?"

"Well, yes, but... I'm not even sure about it being true."

"You'll need to follow your heart instead of your brain. I know that's hard for you to do, being a detective and all that, but you need to try." She nodded.

"Kirigiri, there you are!" Hajime and Kyoko turned their attention to the origin of the voice, seeing Mrs Yukizome walk up to them. "Hinata, you're here too?! Why aren't the two of you in class?"

"My apologies, Mrs. Yukizome. It won't happen again.", Kyoko said.

"Ooooh, did I interrupt something?", she teased. They quickly shook their heads in embarrassment. "I'm just teasing. Come on Kirigiri, the class it worried sick. You get to class too, Hinata."

"Yes, Mrs. Yukizome." She smiled at him. Kyoko and Hajime said their goodbyes, and she made her way to the classroom.

Once arrived back at the class, she was bombarded with questions. She shrugged it off, saying she overslept. They didn't have to know about Hajime's private issues, as she assumed he wouldn't share hers. Class was about to end, but Yukizome was just glad that Kyoko was safe. After the bell rang, Mukuro and Junko made their way over to the detective.

"Hey girl, overslept huh?", Junko asked. She nodded.

"Yeah... I've been having a lot of nightmares as of late, especially after cleaning my parents their bedroom."

"You finished cleaning it out?", Mukuro asked her.

"Not yet, no. Some stuff happened, and I don't think I'll be going back anytime soon." The sisters nodded, but thankfully didn't push her for more answers. Kyoko glanced over to Makoto, who was chatting with Toko and Celeste. She looked around the classroom, failing to locate two people. She started to feel sick. The brick in her stomach grew bigger and bigger, and she decided to excuse herself to the bathroom. Hina happened to see her leave, and tagged along with her. The two of them had a friendly chat on their way to the bathroom. Though Kyoko was happy that Hina was qualified for the finale of a nation-wide swimming championship, she couldn't shake off the horrid feeling she had. The brunette seemed to take hint to it, aswell.

"Kyoko, look at me.", she said as she held onto her. "You look nauseous. Everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah... I just feel really strange.."

"You're sweating!", Hina exclaimed as she felt Kyoko's forehead. "You're mega pale, too. Let's go see the nurse."

"Don't you have to pee?"

"That can wait, I'll just go to the bathroom at the nurse's office." She nodded, and the two of them made their way past the bathroom and to the nurse's office.

Back at the classroom, Junko felt the pressure start to build up. She asked Mukuro to come with her, and the two of them made their way to the bathroom aswell. When nearly arrived at their destination, Mukuro stopped. She raised her hand to stop Junko from speaking, and motioned her to listen. They could hear voices. Voices that were sadly all too familiar. Mukuro shuffled closer, to try and differentiate what they were saying.

"Please baby, I've been waiting forever!"

"I know... But he's too suspicious, and I don't want to take the risk."

"He's not, I swear. I did a pretty swell job convincing him." Junko was standing next to Mukuro, her mouth agape.

"And what about Kirigiri?" Junko slapped a hand over her mouth. Mukuro reached out for her hand, as a way to try and seek comfort in eachother.

"Sure, she may be suspicious of you. But I think he'll believe you over her." Mukuro had had enough. Together with Junko, they turned the corner, to see them standing there. Their legs and arms were intertwined, and the soldier felt like she could vomit on the spot. Junko wiggled herself loose from her sister's grip, and stomped over to them. They gasped when they saw the sisters.

"J-Junko! M-Mukuro! It's not what it looks like!", she yelled.

"Really Sayaka? Because it looks like you're fucking cheating on Makoto?", Junko yelled back at her.

"Enoshima, please, we can expl-", he said.

"YOU!" He let out a squeak. "I thought I was a vile and egotistical person, but oh my god, you just HAD to prove me wrong, huh Kuwata?!" She grabbed him by his collar, and pushed him against the wall.

"J-Junko!", Mukuro shouted. She tried to get her seething sister off of Leon. "Let them speak. I want to hear what they've got to say." Junko let go, and took a step back.

"P-Please don't tell Makoto...", Sayaka begged.

"And why wouldn't we?!", Junko negated her begging. Maizono sighed.

"Let me tell him. It will break him, but it will hurt even more if it's coming from someone else..." The blonde exhaled angrily.

"You have until tomorrow evening. If you haven't told him by then, I will." Sayaka nodded. Their attention was turned to voices coming down the stairs. It was Kyoko and Hina. Mukuro motioned Leon to get the hell out, and he did so as quick as he could.

"Oh, here you are Sayaka!", Hina mentioned in her usual happy voice. Sayaka nodded.

"Where did you go, Kyoko? We thought you went to the bathroom?", Mukuro asked her.

"I got really unwell, so we went to the nurse's office."

"Are you okay girl? You didn't get a cold from sitting in the rain, right?" Kyoko shook her head.

"No, Tsumiki mentioned that it probably comes from a lot of stress."

"Your nightmares probably aren't helping with that either, huh?", Junko said. She shook her head again.

"Let's head back to class. I need some painkillers.", the detective said. Everyone nodded and followed suit.

~~

Makoto sighed as he put his shoes in his locker. He'd stayed pretty late at school to catch up with some homework, and he was about to leave.

"You sound pretty upset.", a voice called from the other side of the lockerwall.

"Long day. How about you?", he replied.

"My girlfriend and I got in a fight, big bummer. But I won't let that nail me down!" Makoto heard the other guy's locker close.

"Hm, I know that feeling. We recently made up after a huge fight."

"Girls, am I right?" Makoto looked over at him. He was tall, and had his blazer hanging over his sleeve. His hair was a deep purple color.

"I guess, yeah." The brunette held out his hand. "Makoto Naegi, I'm from class 78."

"Kaito Momota, class 76." They shook eachothers hand. "So it's your first year, hm? What's your talent?"

"My talent is being lucky.", Makoto scoffed. "I got in through the school's lottery programme."

"Oof, that kinda sucks man."

"I've gotten used to it.", he chuckled. "What about you? What's your talent?"

"Luminary of the stars! I'm the Ultimate Astronaut!"

"Whoa, that's so cool!" Makoto closed the locker, and threw his backpack over his shoulder. "Anyways, I should get going. It was cool to meet you, Momota."

"Same for you, Naegi!" They exchanged their goodbyes, and each went their way. It was still raining. Feeling too lazy to reach into his bag for his umbrella, Makoto made a quick sprint to his car. He threw his backpack in the passenger's seat, and sat himself down in the driver's. Digging through his bag, he pulled out his phone. He had a text.

Ultimate Cutie: come over?

Makoto sighed. At one hand he didn't want to say no to his girlfriend, on the other hand he just wanted to go home and play some videogames. He sighed, replying to Sayaka that he sort of just wanted to stay at home this evening. She read the message, but didn't reply. That promises fun for the next day. He groaned, putting his phone back in his bag. He started the car, and made his way back home. He thought back to what Kyoko had told him, about Sayaka. And then about what Leon said. If Makoto was honest, he was conflicted about everything. It felt strange to say to his best friend he didn't feel anything for Kyoko. He denied it, but it felt like a lie. That he did feel something for her. Makoto's thought process was halted when he noticed the car behind him speeding towards him. In a sway of panic, he tried to get himself off the road, only for the car to crash with his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the support!! I can't believe we're already at chapter 10 :0 I'm so happy you guys like the story, and hope you have an amazing day!!


	11. Oh Woe Is Naegi

Kyoko groaned as she rested her head on her pillow. Her head was throbbing from her fever attack from earlier, or whatever it was. She took a painkiller around twenty minutes earlier, and it had finally started to take effect. As she felt her eyelids grow heavy, her doorbell rang. She groaned, making her way down the stairs and to the front door. When she opened it, she was met with a devastated Leon.

"Kuwata? What happened?"

"I..." He sighed. "I- I need to talk to someone, and I can't talk to Makoto about it." He had to stop his voice from cracking. 

"Uh, sure, come in." Kyoko let him in, and they made their way to the kitchen. She poured him a cup of tea. "Now tell me what's going on, seeing as I'm everyone's therapist today." Leon chuckled.

"It's about Maizono..." Kyoko's head perked up as she put down her cup of tea. "I-I don't think I can take it anymore. It feels so horrible to lie to Makoto and her."

"You aren't lying to anyone, Kuwata, you're just not telling everything. Which there's nothing wrong with."

"But what if he asks me?"

"If you like his girlfriend?" Leon nodded. "Brush it off. Say it isn't his business who you like, works for me.", Kyoko said as she sipped her tea.

"Exactly. That works for you." He sighed. "He'll immediately know something is up if I were to just brush it off."

"Okay. If you don't want to lie, and don't want to brush it off, either, tell him."

"... I-I don't know."

"See that hesitation? It's either A or B, C isn't an option." Kyoko sighed, sitting down. "Look. I know Makoto pretty well by now. He won't get mad because you happened to fall in love with his girlfriend. You're not doing anything with her, so what's the big deal?"

"I feel like he'll be mad.", Leon replied.

"It's Makoto, he'll probably apologise in your stead. He's too sweet and understanding for his own good." Leon nodded, having another sip of the tea.

"I should try and get my mind off of things..."

"Always a good plan."

"Kirigiri, can I...", he rested his hand on her leg. Kyoko felt her face flourish a bright red. She was freaking out internally, not knowing whether to shove his hand or see what the situation would bring. But you know what they say, curiosity killed the cat. She didn't react. Leon used his remaining hand to cup her cheek, and started leaning in closer.

Talk about saved by the bell, Kyoko's phone rang. She quickly pulled herself away from Leon to answer it. She checked the caller ID. It was Komaru. Raising an eyebrow, she answered the phone. 

"Komaru-" She was met with sobbing. "Oh my goodness, calm down honey. What happened?" She let Komaru finish the story, as she felt her own eyes start to tear up. She covered her mouth with her hand, in the hope to silence any sobs of her own. "I-I'm on my way." She hung up the phone, turning around to a worried Leon.

"Kirigiri? What happene-"

"Take me to the hospital. Now."

~~

Makoto groaned as he woke up. He was met with bright lights, and the worried faces of his parents.

"Mom...? Dad...?" His throat hurt like hell, and his voice was incredibly raspy.

"Makoto, baby...", his mother said as she grabbed hold of his hands. It had now come to his attention his left arm was in a cast, there was a bandage around his chest and a cut in his cheek. He thought, and thought, but couldn't recollect what caused him to be in this situation. He groaned, attempting to sit up straight. Needless to say, it hurt a lot.

"What happened...?", he asked his parents. His father sat down at his feet.

"A car crash, buddy. Someone was speeding and hit you in the back."

"Shoot... My car is fine though, right?", Makoto asked, in the hopes of receiving a yes. His dad shook his head.

"It'll be back to dropping you off until we get the insurance money." Makoto groaned, lying back down.

"The doctor should be here soon.", Komaru said as she walked in the room. She sat down on the other side of the bed, too. "I'm glad you're okay, Big Mac." He nodded.

"So am I.", he chuckled. "So much for being the Ultimate Lucky Student, huh?"

"Actually.", the doctor spoke as he entered. "You got incredibly lucky, Mr. Naegi. Seeing the circumstances, you should have died in that crash." Makoto heard his mother's breath hitch. He grabbed her hand.

"What about the other driver?", he asked.

"He was killed on impact. We found a high alcohol percentage in his blood stream, so that was most likely the cause of the accident. But we'll leave it for the police to decide that." After a few more formalities, the doctor left again. Makoto had to stay in a few more days, to avoid any complications. He thought about everything. Trying to remember what happened again, he retraced his steps. He stayed late at school to catch up with some work. He met Kaito at the lockers. He got a text asking him to come over... Wait, who sent that?

"Komaru?" She looked up at her brother. "Could you hand me my phone?" She nodded, giving Makoto his phone. He unlocked it, seeing a few unread messages.

Kyoko Kirigiri: I am on my way with Kuwata. Please be okay.

Ultimate Cutie: hellooo? respond to my calls oh my god you always do this

Ultimate Cutie. That was the person who texted him to come over. He also had a few missed calls from them. His head started to hurt as he couldn't recollect anything about them, let alone remember their name. Listening to some of the voice messages, it came back to him. Sayaka Maizono, his girlfriend. He couldn't help but ponder, why her?

He'd gotten multiple texts from her. Asking him why he wasn't responding, if he was ignoring her... And he also had multiple from Kyoko. Telling him to better be okay, that she's on her way, that she's hoping for him. Makoto could feel he was doing something really wrong by picking Sayaka over her. He must have had some kind of physical reaction, too, because he felt his mother's hand on his arm.

"Are you alright, Mako?", she asked. He nodded. He looked a little pale. "Get some more rest, dear. We want you to get out of here as soon as possible." Everyone's attention was turned to Komaru, who quietly stood up.

"I'll be back in a second.", she said. "Don't go to sleep just yet." Komaru left the hospital room, and made her way to the entrance area. Heading outside, she saw Kyoko and Leon getting off of his motorcycle. They crossed the small street, and met her at the entrance.

"How is he?", Kyoko asked.

"He's awake. He has quite a few broken bones, and it looks like his memory is very hazy.", Komaru replied. She hugged Kyoko, who stood there for a bit, but eventually gave in and hugged the younger girl back. Komaru sobbed. She felt Leon's hand on her back.

"Maru, the most important part is that he's alive and well. Come on, let's go see him." She nodded, and they made their way back to Makoto's room.

It was a horrid sight, to say the least. The bright, cheerful, optimistic Makoto Naegi, lying in a hospital bed with a bunch of wires attached to his body. His wrist was in a cast, and there were bandages all around his torso. The cut on his cheek had been stitched. That was sure to leave a scar. Kyoko felt her breath hitch at the sight of the poor bastard. Though, through everything, she felt so happy to see him. The feeling appeared to be mutual, too. He held out his hand to her.

"Hey, Kyoko." She grabbed his hand, trying to hold back any tears or choke back any sobs.

"Hey, Makoto."

"Scary sight, isn't it?" His voice was raspy, his throat definitely hurt. Makoto's hand was rested on Kyoko's lap, as she fiddled with his fingers. Leon sat down in the chair next to bed. He couldn't quite choke back his emotions as well as Kyoko could. There were tears streaming down his face.

"I-I'm so sorry bro... You deserve so much better than all of this happening to you." Makoto smiled.

"Don't apologise, Leon. Not like you could have done anything about it."

"Well, no, but... If I had stayed with you we might have stayed longer at school, and this wouldn't have happened..."

"Or you were in the car with me. According to the doctor I only survived because of my Ultimate Luck, so if you were with me you would have been a goner for sure. I would never be able to forgive myself for that."

He... should have died? Kyoko felt her composure start to crack. Makoto seemed to take notice aswell, squeezing her hand gently. As a means to say 'I'm not dead, I'm right here'. She felt Mrs. Naegi's hand on her back as she sobbed. Before she knew it, she was engulfed in the first mom hug she remembers.

~~

Makoto groaned as he awoke by the doorbell ringing. He checked his phone, seeing it was 12:30PM. He slowly sat up, trying not to put any pressure on his ribs or wrist. He'd been home from the hospital for a couple of days now, but he still was unable to go to school for a few more. His classmates were very supportive, though. They sent him notes from class, kept him up to date with the gossip and drama, and sent him plenty words of encouragement. To his surprise, Sayaka remained relatively quiet. It was upsetting, to say the least. Getting into a car crash in which you should have died, and being borderline ignored by your girlfriend afterwards. It felt as if she was purposefully avoiding him. There were the daily good morning and goodnight texts, but not much more than that. She didn't ask how he was, how he felt, if he had any pain... Makoto's thought process was halted by the shouting of his mother.

"Mako, honey, come downstairs!" He smiled. Probably some classmates visiting. He slowly made his way downstairs, expecting to see Leon or Mondo, maybe even Byakuya. Wandering into the dining room, he was met with two familiar faces.

"Junko, Mukuro, hey!", he greeted.

"Hi Makoto, I'm glad to see you are doing well.", Mukuro replied.

"I'm not in too much pain, so I should be getting back to school in a few days. I feel like a prisoner, but I'm happy to be alive."

"I can get behind that." Mukuro sighed. Junko spoke.

"Can we talk in private, Makoto?" She sounded way more serious than usual. Usually Junko spoke in a light hearted, borderline obnoxious tone. Yet now, she sounded... upset. He nodded, and the three of them made their way to the terrace in the garden.

"Did something happen...?", he asked. Worries paved through his mind. Junko and Mukuro were incredibly close with Kyoko, did something happen to her? He hadn't heard from her in a while, was she okay?

"Okay so, I totally hate the be the bringer of bad news, but..." Junko sighed.

"Did something happen to Kyoko?", Makoto asked. They shook their head. He let out a small sigh of relief.

"Kyoko's doing well, no need to worry for her.", Mukuro spoke. "The one you should worry for, is yourself."

"M-Myself...?" 

"We were going to the bathroom at school and, uh, ...", Junko said again. "We saw, uhm..."

"We saw Kuwata and Maizono.", Mukuro ripped off the bandaid.

"W-What...?"

"Makoto, cutie, I am so so sorry...", Junko said. "We hate to tell you like this. I was hoping Sayaka would come forward and tell you herself like we asked, but... She probably didn't want to make your situation any worse. But I also felt like I couldn't allow you to live in a lie like that." Makoto nodded as he wiped his tears. He smiled, wiping them again.

"Fuck, it all makes sense." The girls' eyes widened at Makoto's usage of colorful language. "The condom at her house, her avoiding me, Leon bailing on Kyoko... Fuck, I've been so blind." He wiped his tears again. Mukuro and Junko glanced at eachother, then back at him. They stood up, gently wrapping their arms around him in order not to hurt him physically. Makoto sobbed. After a while, he attempted to recollect himself, but failed. It took a good ten minutes before he was calm enough to speak again.

"D-Does Kyoko know, too...?" Mukuro shook her head.

"No, if that were the case we would have a murder on our hands."

"Huh?"

"She'll find out soon enough, and I feel it will be hard to keep her from killing Sayaka.", Junko attempted to lighten the mood. "She's definitely looking out for you." He smiled. Then the pain hit him again. His girlfriend and his best friend...

After a bit more chit chat, Junko and Mukuro made their way back home. Makoto sat down at the dining table, a box of tissues at hand. His mother didn't even had to think twice to figure out what happened. She rushed to her son's side. She felt tears run down her own face as she held him close. They'd broken her poor baby again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am extremely sorry for the delay!! I'm currently on an internship until May, so chapters will be a longer wait than usual. They'll tend to be shorter, too, so apologies for that. Thank you for your support and your patience!! <3


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